Heroes
by The Four Crosses
Summary: A powerful figure has returned to Orario seeking Bell. What does this person want? What will happen to Bell and all those around him? How will the gods react, and, more importantly, what will they uncover upon their return? (My not so grand return to Fanfiction is here!)
1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone. I know, I know. It's been a really long time. I basically sort of gave up on fanfiction, at least the writing. There are a variety of reasons for this. For one, life. I went to college, got a job, graduated, and got my first, full-time position. Second, I focused on my own work, and having been putting a lot of time into that. Thirdly, when the purge happened a few years ago and my story, _Sisters Always Share _was removed, it kind of took the wind out of my sails and I stopped for a long time. Finally, when I thought about coming back and I started looking at my old work, I was terribly embarrassed. I started writing when I was 15 and it really showed. So much of my stuff was so bad that I think I blushed at some points, and that's before even addressing the fact I was a lemon writer. Coming back, I felt so bad that I deleted my story _Team Aid_, in part from how embarrassingly bad it was, and in part because I didn't have a direction for it and thus would never really be able to finish it. So, if you were wondering about that, there's your answer.

Anyway, I'm coming back, I hope, because I kind of felt bad for just leaving, and for the practice, as well as because I have so many stories I want to write that I felt compelled to make a return. So, here is one of those stories. I chose this one because I had to most ideas and drawn out story for it, plus I really love this series so it only seemed right. Fair warning though, this is an OC heavy story so, if you don't care for that, this will likely not be for you. Also, the OC will be powerful, but not invincible so, again, fair warning.

This takes place after Volume 11, so this will include elements that are that far along in the story so, if you've only watched the show, be warned, there will be spoilers. With that, I apologize once again for being gone for so long, and I hope you enjoy.

**Author's Note: 8/30/2019: Hello, just wanted to clear something up. For those just entering this story, I just want to inform you that this is a OC heavy, if not OC-centric story. Originally, when I made this story, I put in the current tags, not in a sense of the importance of the characters, but just randomly, not knowing that many people consider that the ranking of importance. For that, I apologize. However, I have now attempted to correct this issue four times, the last time literally adding the characters one at a time, only to find that Fanfiction itself puts them in the order you currently seeing, i.e. Bell C. first and OC last. I am sorry for this confusion and hope that, even with this information, you will still give my story a try and tell me what you think. With that, I thank you for reading and on with the story.**

I do not own Danmachi.

He yawned.

"Hey, quit that. If you start, soon I'll be yawning too."

"I can't help it. We've been standing here for hours but only a few people have come through. Aren't we the center of the world and all?"

"Even Orario has slow days. You should be glad. No monsters popping out of the ground. No armies trying to conquer us. Just peace and quiet."

"Yeah, I suppose. But can we get just one more person before our shift ends? Just to break the monotony?"

His fellow guard gave a small laugh before looking out. His eyes narrowed as he saw someone approaching.

"Well, it looks like your prayers were answered. Here comes someone now."

The first guard turned and a smile came to his face.

"Thank you, Ganesha-sama!"

His friend gave off another laugh.

The two waited patiently as the person approached, taking in their details as they approached.

It was a man. A big one at that. He was probably a good 200 celch, and with enough muscle to remind them, a little too much, of the "King" of Orario, Ottar. However, unlike the captain of the Freya familia, this man had a friendly look about him. Rich, earth-colored hair and a friendly, tanned face with a small, but welcoming smile.

His clothes were a little ragged. The red cloak on his back seemed to be the only thing that seemed well taken care of. The rest was in some state of disrepair. His shirt, a size too small, was frilled at the bottom and could do with a bit of cleaning. His pants, were much the same, only they were so caked with dirt and mud that, even though the pants were black, both guards knew they were filthy. In many ways he seemed the perfect picture of a farmer. However, they quickly realized this was not the case.

Three things made them realize this. The first were arm guards he was wearing. They had a little dirt on them, but were clearly well taken care of, and both could tell, well-made. They guessed they were made of adamantine, which made their curiosity for who was approaching them grow. On his legs were grieves, which like the arm guards, had to be made of adamantine and were well cared for, despite the mud. But the thing that really caught their attention was the sword hanging his side.

The weapon, which hung from his side so naturally that it was if it was apart of his body, had to be a Hephaestus weapon, and an expensive one at that. It was a longsword, or maybe even a great sword. The handle, black, shined in the daylight, and looked as if it had been made to match the scaled talons of a dragon. At the very bottom of its hilt was a large sapphire, emitting an aura that demanded anyone who gazed about give it and its wielder their utmost respect.

However, there was one thing, even above the sword, that the two noticed that instantly alarmed them.

The two of them were a level 2 and 3, and thus could sense the power coming off another adventure, and the power coming off of this man was terrifying.

He had to be a level 6, there was no way it was lower than that. The air practically pulsed with his power and both knew, if he wanted to get by them, there was no way they were going to stop him.

This man, whoever he was, was no ordinary traveler or tourist simply coming to see the great city of Orario.

Finally, the man arrived, a smile on his face that showed no signs of ill intent, which did help the two guards calm down, if only a bit.

"Afternoon, gentlemen," he said.

"Afternoon traveler," the second guard greeted. "What brings you to Orario?"

"An old friend of mine asked me to check up on his grandson, who, I'm told, is currently residing here."

"How generous of you. Do you plan on becoming an adventurer?" the guard asked, signaling towards the sword.

"Ahhh, not really. This is just in case someone gives the youngster some trouble. My adventuring days are done," the man replied, tapping the hilt of the sword.

"You used to be an adventurer?" the first guard asked.

"Many years ago, but circumstances forced me to leave Orario and I've been gone ever since."

"How many years has it been?"

"Hm, let me think. About fifteen I think."

The guards shared a look. That number didn't seem like a coincidence. However, if they're suspicions were right, they did not want to voice them. At least not yet.

"Well," the second guard began. "Welcome back. I hope things haven't changed too much since you were last here."

"Thank you. We'll see. That being said. If I was looking for information, where should I begin?"

"The Guild is generally a good place to go, but if you're looking for someone, you might want to try Mama Mia's place, the Hostess of Fertility. Everyone goes there at least once and Mama makes sure to remember faces. It's along the main road so you won't miss it. But be careful, Mia's got a bit of a temper."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you both very much. Have a nice day."

"You as well."

The two watched the man walk away, both waiting to make sure he was well out of earshot before they turned to each other.

"Fifteen years," the first said.

"Yeah."

"And that power."

"Uh-huh."

"We need to tell, Ganesha-sama."

"Agreed."

The new arrival to Orario walked through the crowded streets of Orario, a smile on his face, as he went in search of this "Hostess of Fertility".

Eventually his eye caught sight of a sign with such a title and he turned to enter the establishment.

"Hello?" he called.

A few girls in waitress outfits greeted him as he entered. They seemed to be cleaning and preparing for later and he took notice of the fact that there was currently no customers. All the girls seemed startled by his presence and his eye caught a couple of them reaching for something, but they were prevented from going further when a young, gray-haired girl approached him.

"I'm sorry sir, but we're not open yet," she said with a smile.

"My apologies," he said. "I didn't mean to be rude. I only came here because I was told this might be a good place to get some information."

Before the gray haired girl could respond an irritated voice called out.

"What're all you girls doing standing about?"

The man turned and his eyes widened.

"Mia?"

The woman turned and her eyes widened as well as she saw who was standing in her bar.

"Achilles?"

His smile widened as he began making his way towards her.

"As I live and breath, Mia Grand. How are you, you absolute goddess?"

He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a hug, which, despite her shock, and the shock of all the girls in the bar, she quickly returned.

"Achilles," she said after they broke from their hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Straight to the point I see. You never were one for unnecessary chit-chat. Well, to put it simply, I was asked to check in on a young man, and I came here in hope that you might be able to help me find him."

"Has he done something wrong?" she asked, a bit nervously.

"Oh no, nothing like that. His grandfather just wanted me to check in on him. Make sure he didn't get in too much trouble," Achilles replied, emphasizing the 'too'.

"Alright, I suppose I can help, but only if you buy something," Mia replied.

Achilles laughed.

"Very well. I am thirsty after all."

Mia quickly had the girls go fetch some drinks and something to snack on while the two waited patiently. Once food and drink was before them the two continued.

"So who's this kid you're looking for?"

"You don't have to worry. Apparently he's a good kid. As for a description of him. Apparently he's at least 160 celch, though he's probably grown some. I'm told he's got white hair and red eyes and goes by the name Bell Cranel."

The bar suddenly went silent and Achilles looked about the bar and noticed all the girls looking at him. He turned back to Mia and noticed she had fallen silent as well and was now looking at him with serious eyes.

"It appears you know him."

"What's your interest in Bell?" the gray-haired girl, Syr, if he heard correctly, asked.

"No particular interest. As I said, I'm just here because his grandfather asked me to check up on him."

"His grandfather's dead," she quickly said.

"And who told you that?"

"Bell did."

Achilles seemed surprised by this and thought for a moment, before realization dawned on him and he gave off a laugh.

"That's why he said don't mention him."

Mia and the others gave him a confused look so he continued.

"The old lecher told me not to mention him or say he'd been the one who'd sent me. At first I thought it was something else, but, knowing the old man, he's probably got one of his weird little plans in his head," he explained, given off another laugh.

He soon realized that the room was still silent. He looked around and noticed that the girls all looked ready to pounce, the blonde elf, Lyuu, especially. He turned back to Mia, who, while not quite as tense, was certainly not relaxed.

"Mia," he said, his voice devoid of his previous playfulness. "You wouldn't have the mind to start something would you?" The tension grew. "Because, while I'm out of practice, I suspect you are too, and a few level fours are not going to make things easier," he said as his hand moved towards his sword.

Lyuu reacted instantly, but just as she was about to pull something out of her apron, a pressure fell over the room that stopped her in her tracks.

The man, Achilles, was strong. Every one of them had felt it when he came in. The pressure that rolled off of him in waves. But now, that pressure had suddenly increased exponentially, suffocating all but Mia in silent threat.

Mia and Achilles stared at each other across the counter, neither moving and barely breathing. They stared for a long time, both tried to gauge the other and force the other to back down. It was hard to say how long this went on for. It could have been hours or mere seconds, but it ended the moment a drip of sweat slid down Mia's forehead.

The pressure suddenly disappeared and all the girls suddenly gasped and fell to their knees.

"Well, it's been nice talking to you again, Mia. We'll have to do some proper catching up sometime soon," Achilles said, getting up from his seat. "Unfortunately, it doesn't appear I'll be learning anything here, so I'll go check at the Guild to see if they can't help me out," he finished.

With that, he walked out, passing by the girls who were still picking themselves off the ground, unable to do anything but look at the stranger who was now leaving their bar.

"Oh, and one more thing," he said, turning back around to face Mia. "Feel free to tell Freya I'm here. She'll learn soon enough, if not from you, then from that little spy there," he said gesturing towards Syr. He punctuated this statement by returning the pressure from earlier, sending the girls back to their knees for a brief moment, before he finally stopped.

"See you later, Mia," he finished, his smile having resumed its spot on his face as he finally left the bar.

Achilles now gone, Syr turned to Mia.

"Who was that?"

Mia sighed as she felt the eyes of the other girls all turn to her, hoping for the answer. She wiped the sweat from her brow.

"That, was Achilles Caesar. Former captain of the Zeus familia, and the only person to have ever survived a fight with the One-Eyed Black Dragon," she stated bluntly.

The girls' eyes widened and they stared at the entrance, not knowing how to respond, but knowing that someone very powerful, and not to be trifled with, had come to Orario.

Mia, for her part, looked down at her hand. It was shaking. It hadn't done that for years. She too, turned to the entrance.

"_Bastard hasn't gotten an ounce weaker."_

Achilles made his way towards the Guild, intent on finding Bell. He could feel eyes on him from some of the adventurers. They, like the others, could sense his level and, given that he was a new face, they were unsure of what to make of him. That was fine for him. As long as they didn't cause trouble he didn't mind the stares.

"We brought in another good haul, didn't we Bell-sama?"

His enhanced hearing picked up the name he was searching for and he quickly turned his head. His eyes quickly found the boy, just as described, coming out of the dungeon with what Achilles assumed was his familia.

"Yep. Maybe we can celebrate tonight," Bell said with a smile.

"Hm, Lily thinks that it would be better if we saved money. You never know when we'll need it for a raining day," a little pallum girl with a large backpack said.

"Come on Lil' Lily, ya can't always be thinking about finances," a taller, red headed man said.

"Someone has to!"

Achilles chuckled at hearing the banter, even stopping for a moment to listen in.

"T-Then how about something small. A nice dinner and maybe some games back home," a renard in eastern style clothing suddenly said, clapping her hands.

The others took a moment to think on the suggestion before nodding.

"That sounds acceptable," Lily said.

"Yosh! Then let's get this all squared away and head back home."

"You guys can go ahead, I'll turn in the magic stones," Bell offered.

"Are you sure Bell-sama?"

"Yeah. You guys go get things ready and I'll meet you guys at home."

"Well, if you're sure," Lily said.

With a quick bid farewell, they parted ways, with Bell heading towards the Guild.

Seeing his goal moving away, Achilles followed after. As he did so, Bell's party passed by him and, taking notice of the alarmed looks he was getting from the red-haired young man and the black-haired girl, he gave them a reassuring nod and a smile before continuing on his way.

"Did you feel that?" Welf asked Mikoto.

"Yes," she answered nervously. "I'm not sure I've ever felt someone that powerful."

"What are you talking about?" Lily asked.

"Nothing," Welf replied, not wanting to alarm the party. "I just think it's best if we avoid that guy."

Lily and Haruhime looked behind that at the figure currently walking away from them. Neither of them saw any reason to disagree so they simply nodded and continued on.

"Eina-san," Bell called.

"Ah, Bell-kun. How are you?"

"I'm alright," he said with a small smile.

"That's good. Did you just come back from the dungeon?"

"Yep. We had a pretty good day so we're going to have a small party at home."

"That sounds nice. I'm glad things are going so well."

"Yeah, things seem to finally be getting back to-," he stopped.

"Bell-kun?" Eina asked before she realized that the entire guild had gone quiet. She looked around and noticed that many of the adventurers were now staring at the entrance. She turned her head and saw a man standing there. He was big, and was definitely an adventurer, but other than that she didn't know why he was garnering so much focus. She turned her head back to Bell and noticed he was staring at the man too. "Bell-kun? What's wrong."

"He's...He's stronger than Aiz-san."

Her eyes widened before flying back to the man. It was then that she noticed he was looking in her direction. More accurately, he was looking right at Bell.

The man walked towards them, both growing increasingly nervous with each step before he finally stopped in front of Bell.

"Bell Cranel?"

The boy took a moment before he was able to nod.

"Y-Yes?"

The man held out his hand with a broad smile.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Achilles Caesar."

Bell looked at the hand before timidly reaching out and shaking it.

"N-Nice to meet you."

Eina watched the exchange not knowing what to make of it when she heard whispers behind her.

"Achilles Caesar? Isn't that the name of-?"

"Yeah. But that can't be right."

Eina looked at them and tried to recall where she had heard the name before.

"My apologies for interrupting your conversation," Achilles suddenly said to Eina, snapping her attention away from her thoughts.

"N-Not at all. Bell and I were just sharing some small talk. I was actually trying to figure out where I've heard your name before. I'm sure I've heard it at some point."

Achilles laughed.

"I would certainly hope so. Not to sound vain, but if I was forgotten about after only fifteen years I would be offended."

"Fifteen years?" the pieces started to fall in place for all those present and eyes began to widen. Finally, she figured it out. "You're Achilles Caesar, captain of the Zeus familia!" she suddenly cried.

Bell's eyes widened. He had heard so much about the Zeus familia. They were the stuff of legends. Entire books were filled with tales of the quests and exploits, including their attempt complete the Great Quests only to be defeated on the final piece, the One-Eyed Black Dragon. And this was the captain of that familia. The best of the best. He was standing next to a real-life hero.

"That's me. Though I must apologize as I would like to borrow Bell from you as there's a few things that we need to talk about. If that's okay with both of you?" he inquired looking between Eina and Bell.

"You're not going to hurt him are you?" Eina asked, her alarm at knowing who he was and how strong he was overshadowing any attempt at subtlety.

Achilles chuckled, clearly not offended by the question and understanding where it came from.

"No, no. I was actually sent here to look after the boy, so it would be quite the failure on my part if I harmed him. I give you my word, Bell here won't be harmed by anyone, least of all me."

Even though she didn't completely trust the man, he was a stranger after all, and a powerful one at that, the clear sincerity in his word did calm her and she let out a sigh of relief.

"Very well. I'm sure Bell and I can talk more later."

"O-Okay. Sure. Yeah, that sounds good. I-I guess I'll talk to you later, Eina-san."

"Alright, Bell-kun. Get home safely."

"Oh that won't be a problem Eina-san," Achilles said, giving her a smile. "Well, Bell-san, lead the way."

"R-Right," Bell said, clearly still nervous.

The two left, leaving Eina to her thoughts.

"Zeus familia. What's going to happen to Orario now that they're back? And what's going to happen to Bell?" Eina whispered to herself.

The two walked through the city quietly, Bell being far too nervous to speak, which Achilles quickly caught on to.

"No need to be nervous, Bell-san. I gave my word that no harm would come to you and I meant it. A man is only as good as his word after all."

"I-I'm sorry, it's just that, well, I've heard so much about the Zeus familia, so to be standing next to a member of that familia, and not just any member, it's captain! Well, I guess I'm a little nervous."

"Understandable. You don't know me, but you're strong enough to recognize I'm not some pushover. That's good actually. You're not some ignorant kid or arrogant fool. Says a lot about your character."

Bell blushed.

"T-Thank you," he said.

"Just giving credit where credit is due."

Finally they arrived at a decent sized mansion and Achilles gave off a whistle.

"Wow. Quite the place you have here."

"I'm sure it's not much compared to what you saw as part of the Zeus familia," Bell responded.

"Don't sell yourself short. This is a nice place you've got here. This is Apollo's place right? My memory is a bit fuzzy."

"It was. We won it off him in a War Game," Bell answered bashfully.

"You beat Apollo in a War Game?"

Bell nodded.

"Well, well. You really are something aren't you?"

Bell blushed again.

"But that does leave the question of which familia are you. No one was kind enough to inform me," Achilles stated.

"Oh, I'm apart of Hestia familia."

"Hestia? Is she a new arrival? I don't remember her being around when I was."

"She's quite new. Less than a year actually. I'm her first member and captain of the familia."

"A familia less than a year old beat Apollo familia?"

Bell shyly nodded.

"Oh Bell, you and I are going to get along just fine," Achilles said with a laugh.

The two entered the mansion and Bell called out.

"I'm back!"

The sound of movement reached their ears and soon Hestia appeared, big smile on her face.

"Bell-kun!" she cried, before stopping at seeing the man next to him. "Bell-kun, who's this?"

"Ah, this is Achilles-san. I just met him at the Guild. He said he was sent to look after me."

"Really?" Hestia said, her eyes narrowing at Achilles who only smiled and bowed.

"A pleasure to meet you, Hestia-sama. I do apologize for the intrusion, and I'll be happy to answer any questions you have."

"Hmm, alright. I'll allow you for now. But don't get any ideas. A goddess's fury is not something to be trifled with."

"Oh believe me, I know. I've seen my fair share of terrifying goddesses."

Hestia seemed pleased with this admission and nodded.

"Did I hear Bell-sama?" a voice called. A moment later Haruhime appeared. "Oh," she said, seeing Achilles. "You brought a guest, Bell-sama?"

"Yes, uh, perhaps we should gather everyone else so that we don't have to do the introductions more than once."

"A wise decision," Achilles said, the two ladies agreeing soon afterwards.

As they began to make their way through the mansion, Achilles turned to Bell.

"Well, it appears luck is on your side, Bell. To have such a lovely lady as your goddess. Must be very nice. Not to mention the other lovely young ladies I saw you with."

Bell blushed alongside Haruhime, while Hestia, pleased with the compliment, grew a smile.

"Don't think you can butter me up to out of your interrogation, Achilles-san."

"I wouldn't dream of it. Besides, being interrogated by a beautiful woman hardly seems like the worse thing in the world."

Hestia gave off a laugh at this, suddenly glad that Bell had brought home such a polite human.

They entered a living room, Bell offering Achilles a seat before turning to Haruhime.

"Haruhime, could you go get the others and tell them we have a guest?" he asked.

"Certainly Bell-sama," she said with a bow before departing.

Bell, Hestia, and Achilles all waited patiently for the others to arrive, and within a few minutes Haruhime had returned with the others in tow.

"Hey Bell, heard we had a guest-," Welf stopped when he saw Achilles. Mikoto responded much the same when spotting the man.

"Now, now, no need to be so alarmed. I haven't come to do you any harm," Achilles said, seeing their reactions.

"You'll have to forgive us if we're not completely willing to accept that," Mikoto said as Welf's fist clenched in nervousness.

"What's the matter with you two? He's our guest," Hestia said, clearly annoyed by her familia's cold reception.

"Forgive us, Hestia-sama, you can't sense it like we can, but it's just this man is, well, easily the strongest person in the room. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, all of us combined aren't as strong as him."

This information instantly alarmed Hestia who turned to her guest with wide eyes.

"That's why I want to answer your questions as quickly as possible so that I prove my good intentions to you all."

"Answering a few questions won't be enough to prove that," Lily said.

"You're quite right, Lily, was it?" Seeing the looks of alarm on their faces he quickly added. "I overheard all of you when you exited the Dungeon today," he explained, tapping his ear.

"You were watching us?" she asked.

"I was trying to find Bell," he answered.

"Why were you looking for Bell-kun," Hestia cut in, though Achilles could clearly see that the rest of the familia were just as eager for an answer as she was, and prepared to take action if they didn't like what they heard.

"Why don't we begin with introductions," he offered.

"You first," Lily said.

"Of course. My name is Achilles Caesar. You may know me as the former captain of the Zeus familia."

Everyone's eyes, but Bell's, instantly widened and they were stunned still for a moment.

"Z-Zeus familia? As in-," Mikoto began.

"As in the former strongest familia in Orario?" Lily cut in.

"That's the one," Achilles replied.

"Then why…" Lily tried to get out.

"Why am I here?"

Everyone nodded.

"I'm here because someone asked me to check in on Bell here."

"Who?" Bell finally asked.

"Your grandfather."

Bell's eyes widened and each of his fellow familia looked at him in concern.

"Bell-kun, didn't you say your grandfather died?" Hestia asked.

"That's right," he answered.

Sensing the room was about to turn on him, ruining his chances for an explanation, Achilles quickly continued.

"That's what I heard, but you see, that's not true. In fact it's quite impossible, at least in the standard sense of the word."

Everyone looked at him in confusion, none more than Bell.

"Why?" the young man asked.

"Bell, you're grandfather...he was a big man, correct? Taller than most, a strong build, gray hair and beard. And he liked to talk a lot about heroes and talked way too much about girls and how to win their affections, am I right?"

"Y-Yeah. That's a good description of him," Bell said, a little embarrassed by the last part.

"Hestia-sama," Achilles turned to the goddess. "Does that sound a bit familiar to you?"

Hestia, her eyes closed, arms folded underneath her breasts, gave off a sigh and nodded.

"Boy does it. It sounds just like Zeu-."

Hestia's eyes shot open and Achilles smiled.

"It seems she's figured it out," he said, gaining the confusion of those present. He focused back on Bell. "Bell, you're grandfather wasn't just some random farmer in the middle of nowhere. Your grandfather was none other than the leader of my familia, the king of Olympus himself. Zeus."

The room fell silent. Achilles waited patiently for a response, receiving it in the form of the wide-eyed, slack-jawed look of Bell.

"M-M-My g-grandfather w-was…"

"Zeus. Yep. Which is why him dying is kind of impossible, returning to heaven notwithstanding. I suspect that he was just being his usual self, having some weird plan in his head or maybe the old lecher just did something stupid and wasn't able to correct the consequences. Whatever the case, he asked me to come check in on you and, being curious, I agreed. So here am I."

"Are we really supposed to believe that," Lily said, though it was clear the news had an effect on her.

"He's not lying," Hestia said. "Not only can a goddess always tell, but also that description matches Zeus to the letter," she turned to Bell. "Bell-kun, did you really not know?"

Bell shook his head.

"N-No. He always just told me to call him Grandpa. I suppose it's weird I never asked him, but he adopted me when I was very young so I guess I never thought about it."

"Knowing Zeus he probably preferred it that way. After our familia was banished from Orario I doubt he wanted to attract any attention. I've personally had to deal with my fair share of people looking to get revenge on my familia. Of course, it didn't end like they planned," Achilles explained.

"T-This is a bit much to take in," Lily said.

"Yeah," Welf agreed.

"Indeed. However," Mikoto began. "You are here to protect, Bell-san, correct?"

"I swear on my former familia. Zeus doesn't ask for personal favors like this often, so when he does, it has to be important. Besides," Achilles grew a smile. "From what Bell's told me already I think we're going to get along just fine."

The man's smile was enough to ease most, but not all, of the tension in the room. No one sensed a hint of a lie or any malevolence from him so, for now, they would put a little faith in him.

"Alright, with that out of the way, why don't we complete the introductions? Of course I'll start so we can get the momentum going, " he cleared his throat. "I am Achilles Caesar, the last captain of the Zeus familia, known as the Olympian. I left Orario fifteen years ago after the effective destruction of my familia at the hands, or should I say, claws, of the One-Eyed Black Dragon. Before you ask, no, I don't know of a way to beat that thing. I survived on pure luck, or perhaps I was cursed. Hard to tell sometimes," Hestia familia all noticed how his eyes saddened at this. "But, whatever the case, the result was that I became the first level seven in Orario's history. Unfortunatelythat wasn't enough to stop the banishment of my familia. Since then I've simply been wandering around. Taking the odd job. Keeping my head down. I always suspected I would return to Orario one day, just didn't know when or how. But here I am," he finished, allowing his smile to return, though at nowhere near its former strength.

Everyone was silent for a moment as the processed the information and tried to get over the oppressive air that now covered them. Finally, Hestia, eager to end everyone's suffering, broke the silence.

"Pleased to meet you, Achilles-san. I am Hestia. Goddess of the Hearth," she said happily. "You've already met my Bell-kun." Said boy blushed at this. "He's the first member of my familia and its captain. Over here is Liliruca Arde. She our main supporter as well as a sort of worldly expert, making sure to keep everyone out of as much trouble as possible. She also looks over our finances." Achilles bowed towards Lily who returned the gesture. "This is Welf Crozzo," she said, signally to the red-headed young man. "He's our blacksmith and the favorite of my friend Hephaestus," Hestia said with a sly smile, earning a blush from the smith.

"Crozzo? As in the magic weapon makers?"

Welf nodded solemnly.

"Former magic weapon makers. It's a bit complicated and I don't much like making them," he admitted.

"Fair enough. I'm sure you have your reasons. Besides, I rather like my sword," Achilles said, pulling out just enough of his sword to reveal its gleaming blue blade.

Welf's eyes widened in admiration.

"It's beautiful."

Achilles nodded.

"Yes it is. Hephaestus herself made it for me. Cost a fortune, but it was well worth it. Nearly two decades old and this beauty has seen me through some nasty times."

Hestia smiled at the exchange before moving on to Mikoto.

"This is Yamato Mikoto. She's former member of my friend Takemikazuchi's familia and knows all sorts of cool ninja tricks."

The dark-haired girl blushed.

"They're actually quite dirty."

"I'm sure that's not true. That statement alone proves that you aren't the kind of person to use dirty tricks," Achilles countered, surprising the Eastern girl, but also gaining him a small smile.

"And this is Haruhime. She's our other supporter. She used to be part of Ishtar familia, but Bell was able to save her from that life," Hestia finished.

"Ishtar familia? That must have been rough."

Haruhime nodded.

"It was, but I'm actually quite grateful. I did make friends there, and if I hadn't been a part of Ishtar familia and would have never met Bell and the rest of Hestia familia," she said with a smile.

"That's an excellent way of viewing it," Achilles said cheerfully before turning back to Hestia. "And are the others not here?"

Hestia familia gave him an odd look.

"This is everyone," Hestia said.

Now it was Achilles's time to be confused.

"Really? Bell told me you defeated Apollo familia which, even in my time was at least a few dozen strong. How did you manage that?"

"Well, there was some outside help, but it was really just a group effort," Hestia explained.

"Truly?" Hestia nodded. "Then you all must be very strong. What level are all of you? My senses my be very rusty because I could have sworn that you all were level 2 or below."

"No, that's correct. Welf-san and I are Level 2. Lily and Haruhime are both level 1. Bell-san is the strongest of us," Mikoto explained.

"Alright, maybe my senses aren't so dull," Achilles said, though he still looked confused. He turned to Bell. "What level are you, because I swear it feels like you're at least a level four, maybe even a five, but that can't be right."

Bell nodded.

"It is. I just recently became a level 4."

Achilles stared at him for a moment.

"Didn't you say you've been adventuring for less than a year?"

"Y-Yes. Only a few months actually."

Achilles stared at him for a moment.

"That's impossible."

Bell looked flustered and began gesturing about to try and prove he wasn't lying.

"I swear, i-it's the truth!"

"It really is. Bell-sama is truly gifted," Haruhime stated.

"It took me nearly two years to get to level 2 and that was a record at the time," Achilles said. "To get to level 4 in a matter of months is unheard of. Show me."

Instantly the entirety of Hestia familia, minus Bell, grew alarmed. They knew the reason behind Bell's growth but they wanted to keep that a secret, especially from Bell himself.

"Now, now, we swear it's the truth," Hestia said.

"Yeah. You said yourself that you felt his level," Lily stated.

"No, I'm not going to believe this until I see it for myself. I'm sorry Bell, but I must ask you to turn around and lift your shirt."

Bell was instantly uncomfortable, not only from the request, but from the desperate looks he was receiving from his fellow familia. However, he didn't have the heart to deny the captain of the Zeus familia and he didn't want to risk any sort of confrontation with a level 7, and so complied with the request, much to the increased alarm of the rest of his familia.

Slowly Bell turned around and, after taking a moment to remove his armor, lifted his shirt to allow his back to be revealed. The back was plain, Hestia having finally learned how to hide her familia's status. Everyone let out a sigh of relief as, without Hestia herself unlocking it, they didn't think that Achilles would be able to see Bell's status.

Their pleasure turned to shock as Achilles bit his finger and began picking the lock on Bell's status, breaking through in a matter of seconds, revealing Bell's status for the world to see.

"Alright, let's see," he said, his eyes beginning to scan. To his immediate surprise, he found the statement earlier to be true. Bell really was a level 4. "But how is this possible?"

"Bell-kun's just really talented is all!" Hestia tried to explain.

"Yes, Bell-sama is very dedicated to becoming stronger!" Lily added.

"Yeah, he's a great guy that's always looking out for everyone! He always jumps in to rescue people, no matter the situation so of course he's grown so quickly!" Welf tried.

Achilles ignored them all as he focused on Bell's skills.

"Hey Bell, what's this skill here," he asked.

Everyone froze.

"You mean Argonaut? It allows me to charge up a sort of special attack over time. The more time I allow it to charge, the more powerful it is."

"That's certainly interesting, but I'm not talking about that one. I'm talking about your first one."

"That is my first one," Bell responded, clearly confused.

"No it's not. Your first one is this Liaris Freese."

Bell turned around to face him, and he could tell that the boy had no idea what he was talking about.

"Hestia-sama," Achilles began, turning to the goddess. It was then that he noticed the looks of fear in the eyes of the other familia members. "Why do I have a feeling that only Bell and I don't know what this is?"

Bell turned towards his goddess.

"Hestia-sama?"

She didn't want to answer for so many reasons. Part of her contemplated outright refusing, but the look on Bell's face was to much for her and she knew she had no choice. She sighed.

"Liaris Freese. Rapid Growth. Effect lasts as long as feelings remain. The stronger the feelings, the more rapid the growth," her eyes finally turned back to Achilles and Bell. "It's the skill Bell-kun received after being saved by Ais Wallenwhatsit."

Achilles eyed her in interest while Bell stared at her in outright shock.

"Hestia-sama. Why...why didn't you tell me?" he asked, his voice very clearly revealing the hurt he felt at being kept in the dark about his own power. That hurt that only deepened when he looked at the others and realized that they knew as well. They knew something about him, that he himself didn't know.

"Because I afraid you would tell someone!" Hestia quickly tried to defend herself, desperate to regain at least some of the trust she had very clearly lost, the pain of seeing his clearly hurt face absolutely tearing her heart to pieces. "You get so excited and I was so afraid that you would let it slip, if only by accident, and that someone would try to take you from me!"

"Then why does everyone else know?" Bell said, not quite yelling, but very clearly upset.

"We forced her," Welf cut in, taking up his role of the big brother to try and calm the situation. "We couldn't understand how you were growing so fast and pressured her to give us the truth. After that we agreed that it would be better if you didn't know in case of the situation Hestia-sama described."

The others nodded, though this did little to appease Bell. Meanwhile, Achilles, who was watching the entire scene unfold quietly, knowing it wasn't his place to interject, decided that he needed to pull the young captain back before his pain and anger overrode his senses.

"Bell." The white-haired boy turned to him. "Take a deep breath." Bell looked ready to argue, but Achilles quickly held up his hand. "Just a breath. Please." Bell stared at him for a moment before sighing and doing as requested. "Now, please sit." Again, after a moment of resistance, the young man did as requested. When he did so, Achilles put a hand on his shoulder. "What you're familia did was wrong. They kept a secret from you. Worse, a secret about yourself which you had every right to know. They didn't trust you." The others looked like they wanted to argue, but a quick glare from Achilles silenced all protest. "But they did it for a reason. Now, I'm not going to claim it was a good reason. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. That's for you to decide, not me. What I want from you is to take a day. One day. And think about why they did it. If, in that time, after you've calmed down, and thought about it with a clearer mind, you're still mad at them, and hurt by what they did, then I give you full permission to have at them with all the vigor you can muster. Get the poison out of your veins and give them hell," he turned his gaze back to the familia. "And I expect you all to take it," he wasn't asking. "Can you do that for me, Bell?" he finished, looking back at the young man.

Bell was silent for a few moments, his mind thinking over the suggestion. Finally, he looked up at the elder captain and nodded, a tiny smile coming to his features.

"Yeah. I can do that."

Achilles smiled back down at him and nodded.

"Good. That's very mature of you Bell and you've once again impressed me." Bell's eyes regained some of their former spark at the praise. "Now," Achilles continued. "I have another question for you."

Bell looked at him curiously.

"This Ais Wallen...whatisit?"

Bell blushed.

"Wallenstein," he corrected.

"Wallenstein. Thank you. This Ais Wallenstein...you wouldn't happen to be...oh how to put this gently. Hm...smitten, for her, would you?"

Bell's face exploded into a flash of red so bright that Achilles could feel the heat radiating off him. A fact that made his smile grow exponentially.

"Well, well. My curiosity is peaked."

Bell's embarrassment grew to absolute ludicrous levels as he tried to find a way to dissuade Achilles from the path he very clearly was about to set upon.

"W-Well that's...I mean...She's…" he utterly failed to get the words out.

"She must be quite the girl to make you react like this," Achilles said with a chuckle.

That being said, he did notice that almost all the ladies in the room had gained a gloomy air about them, clearly disheartened by Bell's reaction.

"_Hmm. A little heart-breaker is he? Zeus would be proud."_

A part of him considered letting things end there so as to end both Bell's embarrassment and the pain the ladies were feeling, but he was far too curious, and decided to justify himself by saying that this could be considered punishment for their keeping a secret from Bell.

"So tell me about her," he said. "She's evidently an adventuring if she saved you. What familia is she apart of?"

Bell was able to stop sputtering enough to answer.

"Loki familia."

An unintentional growl came from Achilles.

"Achilles's-san?" Bell asked, though his entire familia were as startled as he was by the response.

"Sorry, sorry. It's just that the Loki familia was one of the familias that drove what remained of mine out of Orario. They're good people in general, or at least they were, but they're still ambitious and were happy to force us out, good relations be damned."

Hestia nodded, understanding the games her fellow gods' played.

"Aiz isn't like that!" Bell quickly stated.

"Maybe not. But her goddess is," Achilles countered, earning him a sad look from Bell. "But enough of that," Achilles quickly stated. "Tell me more about her."

"W-Well," Bell restarted, regrowing his earlier blush. "She's very beautiful. And strong. She's actually a level six and is one of the strongest people in Orario."

"Quite the girl you chose, Bell," Achilles said with a smile. "_I'm guessing that has something to do with that skill of his as well,"_he thought, but did not voice. "So what kind of adventurer is she? Mage? Rogue?"

"Oh, she uses a sword. In fact, she's called the Sword Princess."

"Ah, I've heard that name. Heard she was the best sword fighter since the Sword Hero. Hm, I'll have to test her metal then," Achilles said, his hand falling to his sword.

"Y-You're not going to hurt her, are you?" Bell asked nervously.

"Oh no, just a friendly challenge. Haven't had a decent duel in years and this girl sounds like quite something."

Bell's nervousness evaporated and he grew a wide smile.

"She really is."

Achilles's own smile grew.

"Then it's settled," he proclaimed, startlingly everyone in the room. "Tomorrow I will go to the Loki familia, see how my old friends are doing, and meet this Aiz Wallenstein to see if she's worthy of our dear Bell."

Bell's face lit up in an explosion of red as he tried, desperately and with very little effect, to say how it was he that needed to be worthy. But Achilles would have none of it, stating only that Bell had already proved himself in his eyes and thus, as his new guardian, he would ensure only the best for the young man.

Off to the side this was causing a mixed reaction from the other members of the familia, namely: Hestia, Lili, and Haruhime were all worried about what Achilles might do at the Loki familia, especially as he was now connected directly to them. Yet, at the same time, they all hoped, with a little guilt on Haruhime's part, that Achilles would find something lacking in the mighty Sword Princess.

And done. Wow, it's been a long time since I've done this. Feels good to be back. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Again, I know how some of you feel about OCs and powerful ones at that, but he will be an important piece for advancing the plot and I promise to do my best in fully flushing out his character so he doesn't seem like a standard, fanfic OC. That out of the way, please tell me what you think, I'm far better with criticism then I was in the past and I'd like to hear what you all have to say. With that, I bid you all goodbye, and I'll see you all in the next chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello good people. I'm back with the second chapter of my triumphal return. Thank you all so much for the absolutely lovely reviews, they were very touching and encouraged me to throw myself back into this story. That being said, let's get to it shall we?

I do not own Danmachi

Achilles listened intently to the stories the Hestia familia were telling him, each one surprising, impressing, and astounding him more and more.

"_And I thought I liked this kid before."_

"So, let me get this straight," he said holding up his hand. "Killed a Silverback," he held up one finger. "Defeated a Minotaur. A red Minotaur no less," two." Fought an irregular floor boss," three. "Defeated Apollo familia with less than ten people, after fighting the Soma familia," this time he held up two more fingers. "Fought with Ishtar familia multiple times, including in a kidnapping. Fought the captain of that familia head on, with some help," he gestured towards Haruhime. "In order to rescue a lovely young lady." Haruhime blushed. "Which you succeeded in, at the same time Freya's familia was going to war with the Ishtar familia no less," he now added four fingers. "You rescue your goddess from an attempted kidnapping by an enemy army," he now pointed towards Hestia. "And to finish us off, you discovered a Labyrinth that surrounds the Dungeon itself where they captured and sold monsters around the world, only to have some of those monsters escape and make it to the surface, courtesy of this Labyrinth, which eventually finishes with you fighting yet another Irregular monster that had previously been knocking around numerous, high level members of the Loki familia. Is that about right?" he finished, his hands now moving about furiously as if trying to figure out how many fingers he was supposed to be holding up.

"Y-Yes," Bell answered, both from a mixture of embarrassment and nervousness. He had told Achilles the truth, but not all of it. The Xenos were still a classified subject and he didn't know how the former captain would react if told about them, even if Bell himself had been granted permission to reveal the truth. As such he kept quiet on the subject, especially with regards to Wiene.

His nervousness was apparently unneeded as Achilles suddenly got up and, before anyone knew what he was doing, grabbed Bell's head and kissed his forehead before bursting out laughing.

"I love this boy!"

The whole familia's jaw dropped at the action and proclamation. Poor Bell's face lit up once again, unsure of how to react to everything that just happened.

"You're all are quite something," Achilles continued, completely oblivious or just uncaring of the bewildered, and in Hestia's and Lili's case, annoyed faces. "I can say with all honesty you're all on the way to surpassing me and my familia," he finished, no hint of dishonesty or jealousy at the statement.

"N-No...that's not...I mean, thank you...but," Bell stuttered out.

"No, no, it really is. Some of those are things I would have trouble with now. I mean, taking on an irregular floor boss? Sure I could do it, but it's not like it would be a walk in the park, and at level 2? No way! And fighting with an entire familia to save one girl, that...well there's no other way to put besides heroic. You're a hero, Bell, and that's no exaggeration."

Bell, whose embarrassment already threatened to consume him, was positively beside himself at the praise he was receiving, and receiving from the captain of Zeus familia, a hero himself. Bell wasn't sure how much more he could take before bursting into flames of embarrassed joy, that was, until he remembered something, and his smile dropped.

"But isn't it all...isn't it just because of that skill?"

Everyone lost their smiles as they realized what he meant. His familia grew looks of shame, none more so than Hestia, who looked ready to cry and beg for forgiveness, but it was Achilles who jumped in first.

"Bell that skill, _is _you."

Bell looked at him confused.

"Bell," Achilles took a knee in front of him. "That skill appeared, if I understand it right, because of how you felt. Because you fell in love and wanted so badly to catch up to this Aiz. It's a testimonial to your conviction. It appeared, because your will wanted something so badly it couldn't stand to be stuck where you were. That skill isn't separate from you, and it certainly isn't the reason you've come so far or done what you've done. You could be the most powerful person in the world, but if you're a coward at heart, it wouldn't matter. Believe me, I know," he said, the genuineness of his words piercing Bell all the way to his heart. "So no thinking like that. You're here because you earned it. Because of who you are. Because. You. Are. A. Hero."

Tears began to prick at Bell's eyes, which he quickly noticed and tried to rub away to hide his embarrassment. Achilles, for his part, just smiled and ruffled his hair before retaking his seat and allowing the boy a moment to regain his bearings.

His familia were all keen to agree with Achilles on this wholeheartedly, and were prepared to force even more praise on the poor, modest boy, when, luckily for him, the bell signalling that someone was at the gates went off.

"I wonder who that could be," Hestia said.

"I'll get it Hestia-sama," Haruhime states before moving to do so.

Bell, thankful that the focus has been shifted off of him took a deep breath.

"Don't get too comfortable," Achilles said. "I have more I want to ask you, and I'm sure that will only earn you more of my praise."

Bell's blush return, but he smiled nonetheless.

The sound of feet gained their attention and Haruhime stepped into the room.

"Hephaestus-sama with one of her familia," she announced.

There was a bit of surprise at this announcement though none seemed displeased as the Divine Smith walked in.

"Ah, and there's my favorite eye-patch wearing goddess," Achilles said, getting up. "I'm going to guess that you're here because of me."

"Achilles," Hephaestus said, not believing her eye. "What are you doing back here?"

"What, no hello? No hug? No demands on how my sword's doing?" he joked.

The tension in the goddess's shoulders eased a bit.

"_If he's joking, it's not anything bad,"_ she reckoned.

"Well it came as a bit of a shock when I heard you were back in town," she said.

"I imagine. But no need to worry, especially not so much that you brought a level five with you," he said pointing to the adventurer next to her. "And you are?"

The woman, clearly sensing his power, and unnerved by the ease he was speaking to her goddess, answered nervously.

"T-Tsubaki Koruburando. Captain of the Hephaestus familia."

"Oh, you really were nervous weren't you," he said to Hephaestus. "Bringing your captain. With Bell and the others here, you might actually prove a challenge for me in case I do decide to do something mean-spirited."

The easy, joking way he said that made everyone understand that this was not the case. If he wanted to, he could run right through them all.

"You still need to answer my question. Why have you returned, Achilles," Hephaestus said, this time using as much force as she dared.

"The old man wanted me to look after his grandson here," he answered, gesturing towards Bell.

"Grandson?" she questioned, looking at Bell. Her eye widened and she turned back to Achilles who was still smiling.

"Was a surprise for the kid too, not to mention the others."

"But, why now?"

Achilles shrugged.

"You'd have to ask the big guy. He didn't explain himself, just asked as a personal favor, and given how rarely he asks for those I figured it was for a good reason. Besides it gave me an excuse to come back after all these years."

Hephaestus stared at him a while, trying to find any hint of a lie, but finding none, she sighed.

"Well, I'm sure that your return is going to cause quite the stir, but," she smiled at him. "It is good to see you again."

"It's good to see you as well."

"Now," she continued as if nothing happened. "Show me your sword, I want to make sure you're taking care of it."

Achilles laughed.

"There's the Hephaestus I know."

"Uh..." He turned to see Tsubaki staring at him, her nervous expression now changed into one more of confusion. "Hephaestus-sama didn't actually tell me who you were or why we're here and I'm at a bit of a loss."

"As you should be because, I just realized, I was terribly rude and didn't return your introduction, Tsubaki-san. My apologies. My name is Achilles Caesar. You may know me as the Olympian and former captain of the Zeus familia."

Tsubaki's mouth fell open.

"You're the Olympian! The greatest captain the Zeus familia!"

"Oh, now that last bit might be an exaggeration. There were quite a few really great Zeus captain, My own captain, Chiron, was a hell of a leader."

"But he didn't make it to level seven," Tsubaki countered.

"True."

"Enough fanfare, show me your sword," Hephaestus demanded.

"You know, Hephaestus-sama, in certain situations that might have been construed as an innuendo," he said.

Numerous blushes suddenly burst onto the faces of those in the room, including a small one on the Divine Smith's face, much to the enjoyment of her captain who began to laugh.

Irritated by the comment, Hephaestus replied without thinking.

"You and I both know what your tastes in women are."

She realized her mistake too late.

A terrible tension suddenly fell on the room as Hephaestus slowly turned to Achilles. He was still smiling, but this smile was anything by joyous. A deep, terrible pain radiated off this one in waves, making everyone in the room uncomfortable, but only Hephaestus knew why.

"Yes. I suppose we do," he answered.

A few seconds went by, the two beings, one mortal hero, the other immortal god, simply looking at the other, before the god finally mouthed the words, 'I'm sorry'.

The tension disappeared as quickly as it came, leaving everyone nervous and confused except for Achilles, who pulled out his sword and sat in front of Hephaestus before holding it out for her to take.

The goddess, eager to change the focus of everyone's attention, took the sword and began to inspect it.

"Hm, seems you're treating it right," she said.

"You say that like it's a surprise."

"You did have a tendency to get into trouble back in the day, and without me there to fix it up, I was worried about the state I'd find it in."

"It's borderline indestructible. No overconfident asshole looking for revenge is going be able to nick that," he countered.

Off to the side, Welf, who now was able to see the sword in full, was staring at it with clear, unrestrained adoration. Something which did not go unnoticed by Achilles for long.

"You want to take a look?" he asked the young smith.

Welf was startled at suddenly being addressed, but quickly gained a look of excitement.

"Can I?"

"Be my guest."

Welf quickly went over and sat next to Hephaestus, both of them growing a small hint of red on their cheeks at their close proximity, which caused Hestia to grow a smug smile.

"_It appears she wasn't lying about our Divine Smith being smitten,"_ Achilles thought as his own smile grew.

"It's beautiful," Welf said, his awe at the weapon growing with every moment.

"Yes it is. Cost a fortune, so it better be," Achilles joked.

"Given what it was for you got off lucky."

"What is was for?" Bell asked.

Hephaestus froze again as Achilles gave her an exasperated look.

"When did you become loose-lipped?"

Another moment passed in silent before Achilles sighed.

"It's name is Dragon's Bane. I believe that answers the question."

It did, and a feel of discomfort and sadness filled the room. However, it appears Bell's luck once again saved the day as the gate bell went off again.

"My my, you guys are quite the popular hang out," Achilles said with a smile.

"I suspect it has something to do with our present company," Hestia joked back.

Once more, Haruhime left and soon after, returned and bowed.

"The Takemikazuchi and the Miach familias," she announced.

Said familias entered, each member looking very ill-at-ease, especially when they spotted Achilles."

"Evening, Hestia," Miach greeted, being the only one smiling amongst the new arrivals.

"Evening Miach, Takemikazuchi," she greeted the two gods. "I'm guessing you're all here because you heard about our guest as well," she said gesturing towards Achilles.

"I can't deny the truth of that," Takemikazuchi said.

"We were concerned. We didn't get many details, only that a very powerful adventurer had arrived in Orario and had left the Guild with Bell."

"And you rushed to his rescue. Quite admirable of you," Achilles said, getting up and walking up to the two gods. He easily noticed that each member of their respective familias tensed at his approach, either grabbing weapons or cowering as they were given their first dose of his strength.

"Achilles Caesar. Former captain of the Zeus familia, at your service," he said a bow.

All the eyes of the newcomers widened at this and one girl, a member of Miach's familia, who Achilles later learned was named Cassandra, looked ready to faint.

"Nice to meet you," Miach said after a moment.

"Uh, yes. Very nice to meet you," Takemikazuchi.

"Oh calm down you two, he's not going to eat you," Hephaestus said.

"Says the woman who brought her level five captain along because she was concerned."

The Divine Smith had enough courtesy to blush at this.

"Anyway, I'm sure I already know what questions you're going to ask, so I'll make it quick. I came here because Bell's grandfather requested I look after him. I'm not here to hurt him or cause any trouble, you have my word. And-," he cut himself off. He was going to say that he didn't know how to kill the Dragon, but he preferred to leave that topic untouched as much as possible. "-I'll be happy to answer any questions you have."

The gods seemed to notice his sudden shift, but decided not to press him on it, and so, finding a seat, began to ask their questions.

For nearly an hour Achilles answered all inquiries from all sources, be they god or mortal, and asked a few of his own. As this was going on Welf continued to look over Achilles sword, taking its measure and coming up with designs of his own based off the sword. Bell, for his part, watched the exchange happily, pleased to have all his friends and familia together in one room. This only changed when Achilles would talk about how impressed he was with the young man, causing the white rabbit to gain a red hue.

"So you two are former Apollo familia?" Achilles asked to Daphne and Cassandra.

"Yeah," Daphne said while Cassandra only managed to nod shyly.

"Any bad blood between you and the Hestia familia?"

The question was more asked out of curiosity, but no one, especially not the two former Apollo members, failed to notice he was taking their measure. He was the new guardian of the Hestia familia afterall.

"N-Not at all," Daphne managed to force out, Cassandra vigorously shaking her head in a desperate attempt to convince him. "In fact we actually thought about joining the Hestia familia."

"Did you? What stopped you?"

"Oh. Um. Well…" Daphne just realized she had unintentionally brought up Hestia's massive debt to someone who was now, effectively, a member of her familia. Her eyes wandered towards the goddess who now had a hint of red on her cheeks.

Achilles noticed the glance and turned towards the hearth goddess.

"Hestia-sama?"

The divine loli sighed.

"I own Hephaestus a hefty debt for a weapon she made and it got out so most people are too afraid to join the familia now."

Off to the side, Mikoto covered in face in mortification as she remembered her own role in the revealing.

"How much do you owe?" he asked.

"Two...Two hundred million," Hestia all but whispered.

The room fell silent for a moment before Achilles turned to Hephaestus.

"And that was for one weapon?" The goddess nodded, unashamed. Achilles stared at her for another few moments before exclaiming. "That's twice as much as I paid for my sword!"

The entire room was flabbergasted by this proclamation as, even without Welf's skill and appreciation for smithwork they knew it was quite a weapon, but Achilles was not done.

"Where is this weapon? I have to see this."

"It's the knife that Bell carries," Hephaestus stated.

Achilles instantly turned to Bell and held out his hand. The poor boy was frazzled at everything that had just happened and didn't know how to respond.

"Bell, I'm not going be satisfied until I see it," Achilles said, his voice leaving no room for argument.

And so, not knowing what else to do, Bell took out the Hestia knife, and handed it to Achilles.

Achilles looked over the knife with a critical eye. Had it been anyone else, they would have thought it was just a plain old knife, not worth even a hundred valis. But Achilles wasn't just anyone, and he knew how to read the ruins engraved on the knife.

"What the fuck is this thing."

Everyone blinked.

"This thing is beyond anything I've ever seen. You're telling me you could make something like this!" he demanded of Hephaestus. "This knife...it's-," he couldn't find the words. "It's alive. It grows with its user, not to mention it's effectively indestructible, maybe even more so than my sword. And do I sense divinity in it? Is there a piece of god in this?"

"I-I," everyone turned to Hestia. "I put a hair into it. So, I guess that what's you're feeling."

Everyone stared at her, none more intently than Achilles. This lasted long enough for Hestia to feel terribly uncomfortable before Achilles finally turned to Bell.

"Bell, this knife is incredible, there's no other way to put it. It's easily better than my sword." Bell's eyes widened at this. "Hell, with something like this you could actually-."

Achilles's eyes widened at what he was about to say.

"_You could actually kill the Dragon with this."_

He instantly threw those thoughts away.

"_No, I will not encourage anyone to go after that thing. It's just a waste of life._" But something deep within his mind whispered to him. "_But this knife, combined with his skill, he might just be able to pull it off. In fact, he may be the only person who can. If he can grow to level nine, with this knife, he could actually cut out that thing's heart."_

For the briefest of moments, Achilles felt excited. Joyous, and more hopefully than he'd felt in fifteen years. But that moment passed quickly and was soon consumed by despair and terror.

"_No! I'm here to protect him, not throw him into the worst fight of his life!"_

"Achilles-san?"

The former captain jumped and turned to a startled Bell who had a hand reaching out towards him.

"Are you alright?" the young man asked.

It took a moment for Achilles to regain his bearings and remember where he was, when it did, he laughed lightly.

"Oh, sorry, got lost in thought for a second." then, to make sure no one asked what he was thinking about, he quickly continued. "That's quite the knife you've got there. Really, I've never seen anything like it. In fact, I'm actually a bit mad at Hephaestus for not making me something like that."

"That knife is an insult to smithing, and was a once in an eternity thing, so don't even try to complain," she replied, crossing her arms.

Achilles smiled at her, grateful that the conversation was now fully diverted.

The conversation lasted into the night, everyone talking, exchanging stories and banter before it was finally decided that it was time to rest. Hestia offered their spare rooms to their guests, even going so far as to fulfill Achilles request to have a room close to Bell's to ensure he could act as quickly as possible in case something happened.

And so it was that Achilles Caesar completed his first day as guardian of the Hestia familia.

Achilles walked down the street towards the Loki familia without a care in the world. Of course he knew that his presence was startling for those he passed but, as long as they didn't try anything stupid, he didn't mind a few worried glances and simply gave them a smile as he passed.

He'd asked Bell for directions and details about the Loki mansion before leaving, knowing full well things were sure to have changed since he left. Luckily the boy knew the way and could describe the location in great detail so finding it wasn't of any real issue.

Seeing the Loki familia mansion for the first time, he whistled.

"Nice place."

"Excuse me?"

Achilles looked down towards a pair of guards that were standing in front of the entrance.

"Can we help you?"

The tone the guard used was anything but gentle or cordial and Achilles felt his smile falter.

"_Great, another one of those kids that think that just because they got in with a big name that makes them special."_

"Morning," he greeted. "My name is Achilles and I'm here to see Finn."

He figured started with an old acquaintance would be better than trying to meet Aiz Wallenstein immediately and without proper introductions.

The guard scoffed.

"Yeah, you and half of Orario, bub."

Achilles eyes lowered and he turned towards the other guard.

"You seem like a more pleasant fellow," he said with a smile. "Would you mind going to Finn and giving him my name? I assure you that will gain his attention."

"U-uh, sure! Achilles, was it?"

"That's right."

"Hey, I'm in charge here, and I say we don't bother this captain with some ragged bum who looks like he just dragged himself from some bodunk farm in the middle of some place no one cares about!"

The air got cold and the two refocused on Achilles who was now terribly close to the guard.

He stared down at the guard, his smile now turned into something that was anything but friendly. Sweat began to drip down both guards' skin as Achilles looked down at the much smaller, much weaker, and much less terrifying adventurer.

"You are not in control here," he said simply before turning to the other, less rude adventurer. "Would you mind getting Finn for me?"

The guard simply nodded and ran off.

"Now, with that out of the way," Achilles was about to give the guard a lesson in modesty, when, out of the corner of his eye he saw a figure moving on a roof.

Turning his focus to them he quickly found himself quite interested.

It was a young lady, quite an attractive one too. Shining golden hair, nice figure, and even from this far away he could tell she had a nice face. But what really caught his attention was that she was evidently practicing with a sword, and was good with it too.

"_Hm, I probably should wait for Finn and the others, but if I'm not mistaken, that would be Aiz Wallenstein, and this could be a good chance to test her metal. Besides, it'll annoy the shit out of Loki."_

His mind made up, he suddenly jumped, leaving the guard shocked and scrambling to regain his wits before he chose to run back inside to inform everyone of the intruder.

Aiz was practicing as usual when a powerful presence suddenly appeared behind her. Spinning around with her sword at the ready she found a tall man standing a few paces away, smiling at her and giving her a wave.

"Morning," he greeted.

She didn't reply, feeling that something was off and not incline to chitchat in the first place.

"Sorry to startle you, but I noticed you practicing from down below and I was wondering if we might spar a bit," he punctuated this by pulling out his own sword.

Aiz could tell it was well-made. In fact, it looked like the nicest sword she'd ever seen, definitely not something some random guy on the street would carry. This only served to heighten her alertness, and, deciding that this person was an intruder, she attacked.

She feinted a strike to his face only to move for his right side, aiming for a slash across his chest. However, suddenly, when she was but an inch from making contact, his sword appeared and blocked it.

"Oh, I'm glad you decided to take me up on my offer. I was worried you would think I was an enemy."

Aiz stared at him with wide eyes. The ease of his block and the way he spoke suggested that her attack had little to no effect on him, like he viewed it only as the opening act to a friendly spar.

She jumped back, intent on figuring out an attack plan, only for the man in front of her to charge.

"My turn," he said, his smile still unwavering.

This time, she blocked, but the force of the blow was overwhelming. She couldn't remember the last time she had fought someone with this much physical strength.

"_No, that's not true,"_ she realized, and that realization only unnerved her more. "_The King."_

The blow knocked her back, but she quickly recovered, now fully understanding that she could not hold back in this fight. It was good that she did as her 'sparring partner' was already on the offensive again.

Again and again the swords clashed against each other, the ring of their blades singing a ballad of battle to the heavens, telling all of the magnificent sight of two heroes crossing blades.

"You're quite good," he said, dodging a strike for his left eye. "Haven't had a fight like this in years."

Aiz continued to say nothing, too focused on fighting to make banter.

"Aiz-san!"

The sound of a voice behind her, caused Aiz to involuntarily turn. She saw that Lefiya, Tiona, Tione, and Bete had all come to the roof, the young elf looking terrified as she crossed blades with the unknown man.

"Don't get distracted," said man stated.

He suddenly knocked Aiz's blade away, before punching her in the stomach. The hit was devastating, more so because Aiz was unprepared for it. She felt herself emptying her stomach as she was launched all the way to her familia.

Using her sword to slow her pace, she was able to stop herself from crashing into them, if only barely.

"Aiz-san!" Lefiya cried, going to her side, while the rest of them surrounded her.

"Who is this guy?" Bete growled. He looked ready to charge, but was stopped by Aiz grabbing his arm.

"Wait," Aiz said. "This isn't someone you can fight. I can tell," she glared at the man in front of her. "He's as strong as the King."

The eyes of her familia widened as they went from looking at Aiz, to the unknown man.

"You need a break?" the man called, placing his sword on his shoulder.

The chevalier way he said that hit a nerve with Aiz, but she was still calm enough to turn to Lefiya.

"Bring Finn, Riveria, and Gareth here as quickly as you can."

"R-Right!" she said, sparing on the unknown adventurer one last look before running off.

That done, Aiz stood up, signalled to her familia that she would deal with it. This very clearly didn't please them, but they knew better than to get in her way when she was like this.

"You ready to go again?" the adventurer said, still smiling.

This time, Aiz did answer.

"Tempest!"

Wind suddenly surrounded Aiz and she launched herself at the adventurer.

His smile dropped and his eyes widened at the speed in which she now attacked him with. Now her attacks were stronger, but more importantly, they were faster.

"_Well, well, a one word spell. That's quite something. I'm beginning to see why Bell likes her so much,"_ he thought as his smile returned.

Her attacks came in a flurry, and at one point she actually managed to knick his neck in a move that, he couldn't not fail to realize, was meant to cut off his head.

"_Hm. I guess she doesn't think this is a friendly spar. I suppose that's fair enough, I did technically break in. But if we're getting serious…"_

"Make me faster than even the gods," he chanted. "Lightning Steps!"

Aiz thought she had retaken the advantage with her speed, but that advantage disappeared the moment the man completed his spell. Suddenly he was before her, his smile even more irritating than before.

"There's only one thing faster than the wind, my dear," he said as his sword smashed into hers. "Lightning!"

Fear entered Aiz's heart as again and again she found herself merely defending herself against his blows, unable to counter or even think. One strike. Then another. Then another hit, numbing her arms and rattling her bones. This fight was no longer one she could win, but, as much as she wanted to cry out to her familia, for aid, or to tell them to run, she couldn't. She couldn't do anything. Even speak.

"Don't let fear rule you, girl," the man suddenly said, his smile now replaced with a serious look. "It'll tear you apart. Believe me."

That was the last thing he said before he knocked her sword out of her hand, caught it, twirled it around and placed both her sword, and his own at her neck.

It was as if time had stopped. The man stared down at her, his serious eyes trying to convey some message she couldn't understand. Off to the side, Tiona, Tione, and Bete were all in shock at seeing their friend, the great Aiz Wallenstein herself, defeated by some guy whose name they didn't even know.

"What's going on here!"

Everyone turned to see Finn, Riveria, Gareth, and Lefiya, who looked completely out of breath, standing on the rooftop.

"Ah Finn, there you are!" the man suddenly exclaimed, his smile once more plastered on his face.

Just as quickly as they appeared, the swords at Aiz's neck were gone, and Aiz felt the familiar weight of her sword back in his sheath. She looked down to find that, in fact, it had been slipped back in its case and done so quickly she hadn't even seen it.

"Achilles?" Finn said, snapping her back to reality.

"Who else could I be?" Achilles asked, going up to the captain of the Loki familia. "And I see you're just as handsome as ever. And Riveria, even more lovely than the last time I saw you! And Gareth, looking even stronger. I bet you could lift a mountain now!"

"What are you doing here?" Finn asked, clearly shocked by the sudden appearance of the former leader of the Zeus familia.

"By here, do you mean Orario, or this mansion?" Achilles inquired.

"Let's start with Orario."

"Well, I was asked to check in on someone and make sure they're doing alright."

"Who?"

"Bell Cranel."

"Argonaut-kun?"

Achilles turned to the Amazon who'd spoken.

"Argonaut-kun?" Achilles asked, wondering if they had seen Bell's skills.

"That's just what my sister calls him," the other Amazon said.

"Is someone going to tell us who the hell this guy is!?" Bete cut in, clearly more than a bit irritated and more freaked out then he'd ever admit.

"Well I can already tell you're a gaggle of fun," Achilles said earning him a growl from the wolf of Loki familia.

"This," Finn began, regaining control of the situation. "Is Achilles Caesar. Also known as the Olympian. He was the last captain of the Zeus familia."

"_And the only one to survive fighting the One-Eyed Black Dragon,"_ he thought, but did not say for obvious reasons.

"No way! The Olympian!" Tiona cried. "Aren't you the only person to survive fighting the One-Eyed Black Dragon!"

Finn sighed and bit his thumb.

"_There goes that idea."_

Aiz's jaw dropped and her eyes widened.

"_The only person to have survived the…"_

"Yes, well," Achilles said, hoping to change the subject quickly. "I do believe I still need to be introduced to all of you."

"Right," Finn said, clearly eager himself to change the subject. "This is Tiona. Tione." The sisters bowed. "Bete." The beast man growled. "Lefiya." The elf just glared at Achilles, causing him to chuckle to himself.

"And I do believe I've already met this one," Achilles said. "You're the famous Aiz Wallenstein, correct? Bell speaks very highly of you and I wanted to personally thank you for taking care of him before I got here."

It was then that he noticed the look on Aiz's face and stopped.

"_Oh, I know that look."_

"No."

Everyone blinked.

"What?" Aiz said, staring into his eyes.

"No," Achilles repeated. "I will not tell you anything about how to fight that thing. It's a suicide mission and I won't help anyone run to their deaths."

Aiz immediately sprang into action.

"But-."

"No!" he cried, startlingly everyone. "No buts. For fifteen years I've had people coming to me for one of three things. For stories, which I was happy to share. For revenge, which, while not quite as happy about, did give me a chance to practice. And finally, for information on that accursed beast. And let me tell you, I hated it every time someone did. They all had that same look on their faces," he said to Aiz. "All of them wanted revenge for some person it had killed or some village it had destroyed, but I'll tell you what I told them," he took a step forward and placed himself within inches of Aiz. "My familia, and that of Hera, the two best familias in existence, the familias which had killed the other two Great Beasts, couldn't do it. We fought and were annihilated. I survived on pure luck. Nothing more. Not skill. Not strategy. Luck. I watched almost everyone I cared about die that day, some in unspeakable manners," his eyes closed as a shiver went up his spine. "I still have nightmares about it. So, I will make this as clear as possible. Drop. It. You won't kill it. Even the Sword Hero couldn't and you are no Sword Hero," Achilles took notice of the extreme look of pain that entered her eyes at this. It was even greater than the look that was in her eyes at the mention of the Dragon. Mixed with the subtle gasps that he heard emitting from the three leaders of Loki familia, and his curiosity was peaked, but, for now, he decided to leave it be. "There is maybe one person in this entire world capable of killing that thing single-handedly, but I wouldn't want him to try even if I could resurrect my entire familia to fight alongside him."

"W-Who?" Aiz asked, quietly.

"What?"

"Who could kill it?" she asked.

Achilles blinked. He only just then realized he had revealed what he had thought the night before and quickly shoved back into the recesses of his mind. Truth be told, he didn't know why he'd said it, it had just spilled out, to his current chagrin. He could feel the stares of the other members of the Loki familia on his back as well. They wanted to know almost as much as she did.

"Doesn't matter," he said quickly, glaring when Aiz tried to press the point. "The task, if it's even possible to complete, must be done by a hero, which you are very clearly not."

"How dare you!" Lefiya cried. "Aiz-san is a greater hero than you'll ever be!"

"No hero is driven by revenge, which your precious Aiz Wallenstein clearly is," he turned back to Aiz. "You are not the one to kill that beast and all you're doing by going down this current path of yours is destroying yourself, and likely everyone around you. So, I repeat. Drop. It."

That was impossible. Aiz knew that. Achilles knew that. The Loki familia knew that, but Achilles had said his piece and if she destroyed herself in a quest for revenge, so be it. His only regret would be the hurt it caused Bell.

"Now," Achilles said, clapping his hands together, clearly forcing the present conversation to end. "I do believe I still need to say hello to the mistress of this familia. With any luck I'll get to see her to do a spit take. I could use a good laugh."

They made their way through the Loki mansion, Achilles getting even more curious and worried stares than usual until they finally arrived at Loki's office.

Finn knocked on the door.

"Get in here!" cried the clearly annoyed voice of Loki.

Finn sighed and Achilles rolled his eyes.

"I'm going to guess that annoyed tone has something to do with me," Achilles said.

"It'll only get worse once she sees you," Finn replied.

"Probably."

Finn opened the door, and walked in, promptly followed by Riviera, Gareth, and the rest of the Loki familia.

"Finn, what the hell is going on?! Everyone's running about like chickens without their heads! And what's this I hear of an intruder attacking Aiz?!"

"I'd prefer the term, sparing."

Not only did Loki actually open her eyes at hearing a voice she knew all too well, but widened them in clear shock.

"Achilles?!"

"Hello to you too, Loki," he greeted, pleased that his appearance was having at least some effect on her, even if he had wished to see her spit out some expensive wine.

"What are you doing here?" the goddess demanded. Then realization hit her. "Wait, you're the one that attacked Aiz?! I'll flay you for that!"

"Well I'm not as flat as you, so that may take some time."

Loki's mouth fell open and Finn and Riveria sighed, knowing that a headache was sure to come about before the end of this meeting.

"Please you two, be civil," Finn begged, rubbing his temple.

"No promises," Achilles stated with a smirk.

Loki growled, but sat down.

"So what are you doing here?" she questioned.

"I'll repeat what I asked Finn. By 'here' do you mean Orario or your mansion?"

Loki growled again.

"I'll take that to mean Orario. I was asked to look after a young man. Bell Cranel, I believe you know him."

"The rabbit? Who would ask you to look after him? Better yet, why would you accept?"

"Well, when the head of my familia asks a personal favor to look after his grandson, I figured it'd be rather rude of me to say no."

Numerous pairs of eyes widened at this statement.

"That kid is-," Loki began.

"The oldman's grandson, yes. Adoptive anyway. I debated whether or not I should have kept that information closer to the chest, but people would have figured it out sooner or later, if only by asking the same questions you did just now," Achilles confirmed.

This information did not seem to please Loki who snarled.

"So that's how the kid grew so fast."

Achilles laughed, catching everyone's attention.

"What're you laughing about?" Loki demanded, her patience all but gone.

"Bell's rapid growth has nothing to do with his grandfather. In fact the reason is far more interesting," he said with a smile.

"And that reason being," Loki tried to pull out of him.

"Oh, come now Loki, you don't think I'll actually tell you, do you? I've already given you some valuable information, plus, it'll be fun to see you squirm as you try and figure out why Bell's fast becoming the strongest person in Orario."

"That's a hell of a claim," Loki said. Achilles shrugged. "Well, he won't beat my kids. Especially not Aiz. She's determined to become stronger and has even beaten a floor boss by herself," Loki gloated. "I suspect within a couple years she'll be a level seven."

The way Loki said this was clearly suggesting that she was using it as a threat. She hoped the information would unnerve Achilles, who had put her on the backfoot the entire conversation. However, her hope died when she saw his smile widen, not shrink.

"Good for her. I suspect within a year's time Bell will be stronger than me."

That floored everyone in the room, from Loki herself all the way to Aiz who was both astonished, and desperate.

"_I need to learn how he gets stronger so quickly."_

"You're lying," Loki accused.

"Level four in half a year. You might slow down after level five, but if he was given twice the time and some motivation," Achilles shrugged again." The kid's something. Besides, with me here to train and guard him, who knows how far he'll go."

The younger members of Loki familia didn't notice, but Loki, Finn, Riveria, and Gareth certainly took note of the threat that was implied with the word 'guard'. It warned them, "_try anything against Bell Cranel or his familia and you will suffer greatly"_. It was not a warning they were incline to ignore.

"As for what I'm doing here at your mansion," Achilles continued, as if he had said nothing of great importance or interest. "Bell spoke very highly of Aiz-san and I wanted to thank her for taking such good care of him," he said with a smile, but internally, he was anything but pleased.

"_But her role as his guardian and mentor is over. She is far too focused on that monster and I saw that look in her eye when I said Bell would surpass me. She intends to use him in her quest for vengeance and I'll be damned if I let Bell be hurt by this girl in a suicide mission."_

"Well, that's all I wanted to say," he declared. "So, I'll be seeing you all around. I'm sure you all have a lot to talk about now, so I'll leave you to it."

"Hey-! Wait! I'm not done talking to you!" Loki cried.

Achilles had every intention of ignoring her, if only to annoy her further, but a sudden hand on his arm stopped him.

"She said wait, asshole," Bete said, glaring.

The room got cold and a foreboding sense of danger fell over the Loki familia.

"Finn," Achilles said, a calm expression on his face as he looked at the younger man. "I suggest," Achilles's hand wrapped around Bete's. "You keep your puppy on his leash."

Achilles then began to squeeze Bete's hand. First the knuckles crackled. Then a pained expression grew on Bete's face. Finally, Achilles pulled the hand off and began to twist the appendage until Bete's knee began to buckle and he lowered it to the ground. Then, and only then, did Achilles release his hand.

"See you guys later," Achilles called, leaving Bete to nurse his hand and the Loki familia to regain their wits and discuss the future that now had to include the former captain of the familia they helped to banish.

Achilles made his way out of the mansion with a smile, pleased, for the most part, with how things went.

"_Though that Aiz Wallenstein…"_ he sighed. "_I'm sorry, Bell, I can't say I approve."_

Outside the gate he stretched and let out a pleased sign.

"_Now. How to spend the rest of my day."_

"Achilles."

He turned.

"_Well that answers that question."_

Before him stood none other than the 'King' of Orario himself, Ottar. With him was a collection of other Freya familia, all level five or six, by Achilles reckoning. One was a cat man. Four were pallum with various weapons, and still two others were elves, one dark, one regular.

"Ottar. You got bigger," he said, still smiling, though he knew what was coming.

"My mistress wishes to speak with you," the boaz said.

"I know," Achilles responded simply.

The cat man stepped forward, snarling.

"That means now."

"I don't believe I was talking to you pussy cat, and given that I've already dealt with one house pet today, I suggest you keep quiet."

That didn't sit well with the feline of Freya familia, who grabbed his weapon, only for Ottar to place his hand before him.

"Don't. He will kill you."

The cat looked at him in disbelief while Achilles crossed his arms.

"Listen to him, kitty. He's the only one here who has a chance of beating me. Which you should have understood given that your mistress sent all of you just to gather little ol' me. Besides, I imagine Freya told you to bring me to her, unharmed if possible. Though one might wonder who she was referring to at such a request," he said sternly.

The cat man, Allen Fromel, as Achilles would later discover, growled again, but obeyed. He wasn't the only one clearly upset by Achilles. The casual tone he used when addressing their goddess hit more than a few nerves. But still, they kept quiet. The man wasn't wrong. Freya had told them to collect him unharmed, though her smile did suggest more than her simple request let on.

"Well, we'll catch up along the way," Achilles said, once again addressing Ottar.

The captain of the Freya familia nodded and turned to lead Achilles to his goddess. Achilles followed without any word, reminding himself he knew this would come, but dreading it all the same.

Done. And with a cliffhanger! Mean aren't I mean? Anyway, I really hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, your positive reviews really encouraged me to get this one out, so, thank you very much for all the lovely feedback. That said, please continue that love and alert, favorite, and review the story, and I'll see you guys soon. Bye for now.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello good people! Well, I'm back, and with a chapter I've been excited about for quite some time. The Achilles v. Freya confrontation! I do hope you're all enjoying the story so far and are as excited as I am. Anyway, here's the next chapter for you, and I'll see you at the end.

I do not own Danmachi

Achilles walked with the Freya entourage through the streets of Orario in mostly silence. He did ask Ottar a few questions about what had happened over the past fifteen years and about the boaz himself, which were answered in his usual stoic, but polite manner. Most of his time though was spent watching the people they passed by and the looks on their faces. He didn't begrudge them the stares, as the sight was surely quite something. Achilles himself was actually quite impressed by what Freya had sent to collect him. She was certainly taking his return seriously enough. And, in a way, it was amusing. He was simultaneously the safest person in Orario and in the most danger. He allowed himself a chuckle in order to ease his mind before what was to come. Gods knew, he was going to need all the calm he could collect if he was going to deal with the goddess of beauty.

His question of whether they were heading towards the Tower or to Folkvangr were answered as the palace came into view.

_"I guess she wants to ensure I'm on my best behavior by completely surrounding me with her familia. Either that or she wants to parade me in front of them like a prize,"_ he thought as his smile disappeared.

Entering the Freya home quickly garnered the attention of all those inside. Whether or not they had been told of his arrival, Achilles didn't know, but even if they had, they were evidently surprised he had come under such heavy guard.

Achilles began to inspect the Freya familia. None, of course, were as powerful as those escorting him, but they were equally as, if not even more beautiful in one form or another. Some had a classic beauty to them. Some an exotic. Some had a cuteness to them that screamed for the less restrained elements of society to come and taint them. All of them pulled you in.

_"Just how Freya likes it,"_ he thought as his frown deepened.

Finally, after gaining a substantial crowd around them, they arrived at what Achilles assumed was the throne room. He was proved correct when the doors opened and a long, elegant hall appeared before him. Everything about it was perfect to the minutest detail. From the currents, a deep, alluring purple, no doubt made of silk; to the elaborately carved columns, colored to perfectly match the hair of the goddess whose home this was.

Finally, all the way at the end of the hall, on a throne fit, not for a king, but for an empress, a wine glass in her hand and her unwavering smile on her face, sat Freya.

Achilles's knuckles turned white at the sight of her, but he took a quick breath and put on a smile. If she meant to tease him, he'd send it right back at her with his own smile.

They entered the throne room, and then a pair of lesser Freya familia members, left, closing the doors behind them to ensure privacy, much to the curious onlookers dissatisfaction.

They approached the throne and Achilles noticed that her smile and beauty seemed to grow with each step.

_"Concentrate. Do not be Charmed."_

Finally, when they were only a few paces away, the group that had escorted him broke apart, with all but Ottar surrounding him with eyes that threatened severe reprisal should Achilles do anything against their lady. Not that Achilles was worried about them. Only Ottar was of true concern to him, and he watched as his fellow level seven took his place beside his goddess.

"Achilles," a sultry voice called, nabbing his attention as a shiver went up his spine. "It's good to see you again."

He was able to keep smiling at her, a small victory he was happy he won.

"I'd say the same to you, Freya, but you'd know it was a lie and that would make me a rude guest."

The cat from earlier growled.

"You disrespectful piece of-."

Freya raised her hand to stop her wayward familia, but this proved unnecessary as a sudden pressure fell over the room, disturbing all but Ottar and Freya.

"Once again, I do not believe I was talking to you, pussy cat," Achilles said, his eyes glaring down at the level six. "I was speaking to your mistress and unless you'd like to be her new throw rug, you. Will. Remain. Silent."

Allen, as much as he hated to admit to himself, and would deny if anyone ever asked, with threat of violent, was intimidated by the man before him. Ottar had seemed so sure when he said the man could kill him, and now he was truly beginning to believe his superior wasn't lying.

Achilles, for his part, was glad to be given the chance to put himself on stronger footing. He was deep within enemy territory facing the last person in the world he wanted to see, but he'd be damned if he backed down without a fight.

A soft laugh however, was all that was needed for him to know that he had gained nothing.

"I'm glad to see your spirit hasn't lost any of its fire. And your aura," her smile grew. "Seems brighter than last time I saw you. Why is that, pray tell?"

He did not like the way she said that. Her tone suggested she knew something already and that only made that shiver up his spine that much worse.

"What do you want, Freya? You already know why I've returned, what more do you want?"

"Indeed. You're here for my dear Bell."

"Your-?" his eyes widened. "You want to claim him."

Her unwavering smile said it all.

Fury filled him all the way to his core. Wrath and fury burst from his pores and his eyes turned unreservedly malevolent.

"Leave. The boy. Alone," he demanded, his hand falling towards his sword. "Or I swear to every god," he began to unsheathe it. "I don't care how many of your familia get in my way," the blade was now out. "I don't care if Ottar tears me apart limb from limb," he pointed it at the goddess, causing all of the Freya members to grab their weapons, even Ottar, who placed his hand on his sword. "I will drag you back to Heaven kicking and screaming by your hair!"

A pulse of his power burst forth and shattered all the windows in the room, and, if the cries of alarm were any indication, a few outside the room.

The threat hung heavily in the air for but a few moments, though to the mortals it felt like years, but ended the second they heard it.

Freya's laughter.

It wasn't unrestrained or bolsterous, but there was a boundless mirth to it that unnerved Achilles to no end. Finally, as she calmed down, she looked him straight in the eye, snatching control of his body away from him in the process.

"Oh Achilles, you saying that just makes me want him more."

His mouth fell open.

_"She goaded me. She knew how to get under my skin and knew how I'd react. She played me."_

He slowly lowered his sword and his eyes, mortification and anger eating at his heart before he painfully returned his sword to his sheath, like a dog retreating back to its kennel with its tail between its legs.

"He's just a boy. A good, honest, sweet boy. Why?" he growled. "Why are you after him?"

Freya didn't answer immediately. He suspected that she was taking her enjoyment out of seeing his defeat, and better yet, his realization of his defeat. Finally though, she answered.

"You remember those lessons I use to give you about a person's aura?"

He looked back up at her, his teeth bared.

"Yes."

"Bell's aura is unique, even for me. His is completely clear and shines as brightly as a star."

"Clear?" Achilles anger dissipated and was replaced by confusion. "That's impossible. That would mean he's a completely unique entity. Uncolored by past lives and reincarnations."

"That's right," Freya said, her smile even more pleased. "And…?"

"And," he thought for a moment. "That would mean even his parents weren't reincarnated. Their souls would have colored his, at least somewhat. They were also unique entities, which can only mean spirits or…" he stopped himself, his eyes shot back to Freya who knew what he was about to say, and smiled eagerly for him to finish.

"Or?"

"Or gods."

Freya nodded, clearly and very much pleased by his answer.

"Well, we already know he's the grandson of Zeus," she said.

His anger returned in full force. It was only natural that, with the information Mia and the girl, Syr had provided her, that she would know by now Bell's connection to Zeus. It didn't help that he was there either. A regular person with a bit of common sense could have figured it out, as Achilles had suggested to Loki, and Freya was certainly no regular person.

"But that's not all," Freya continued, wanting to keep Achilles off-guard.

"Not only is his strength formidable and the speed of his ascent amazing to say the least." Achilles grew nervous at this. While it appeared that the Hestia familia had done all in its power to keep Liaris Freeze a secret, including, if not especially from Bell himself, if Freya had truly desired to know why he had grow so quickly, or had used her intellect to think on the matter, he had little doubt she would find the answer. "But he continues to surprise me."

"Normally I'd say you were lying," Achilles stated, causing a few of the Freya familia to reached for their weapons as they glared at him. "But that is an apt description of him. He is surprising in all the best ways," he conceded.

Freya's smile seemed even more pleased, if that was possible. Perhaps it was for this reason that she decided to descend from her throne and make her way over to Achilles.

The sight of the goddess moving towards him caused Achilles to instantly tense up and grab his sword again. The Freya familia had their own weapons at the ready, except for Ottar, who was calm now, for he knew his mistress better than anyone, and he knew that, if she was approaching the former captain, she was in complete control of the situation.

"I'm so glad you agree," Freya said when she was but a single pace away from Achilles, staring directly into his eyes.

Their eyes did battle for a time. Her heavenly silver versus his electric blue. This was a battle he was desperate to win, desperate to show this goddess that his will would not be broken by her. But, as hard as he tried, he felt her Charm wash through him in an endless wave of sinful warmth. So many things were promised in that gaze. So many things he could not allow himself to accept, no matter how badly a whisper in the back of his mind begged or demanded he accept. He tried, he truly did, to hold her gaze. To make her see his strength and retreat, but he knew it was over when the first drip of sweat rolled down his temple. Worse yet, she knew too, and this time, he didn't even need to see her lips to know how pleased she was. Her eyes said it all and a new wave of terrible ecstasy passed through and forced him to turn his gaze lest he drown.

His breath heavy and labored, he was not even given a moment of respite before he heard Freya's voice behind him.

"Perhaps you can shed some light on something I heard."

He quickly turned to try and look at her again, forcing himself to do battle again, only to find nothing there.

Two hands suddenly appeared on his shoulders. The warmth he felt earlier was nothing compared to what he felt now. Direct contact that almost brought him to his knees. Perhaps it might have, had Achilles not been able to conjure up memories of the past and reawaken his hate.

"What?" he said through gritted teeth.

For a moment, things were silent. Had Achilles had more control of his body and been able to turn to Freya, he might have seen the twinkling of surprise in her eyes at his continued resistance. But that was unlikely, for it lasted but a moment, before an even greater pleasure filled them.

_"So strong,"_ she purred inwardly.

She leaned in next to his ear.

"Ishtar told me something interesting before I sent her back to Heaven."

"Ishtar?" Achilles said, using his hatred to force his knees from shaking.

"Yes. She told me that our Charm ability doesn't work on Bell-kun. Now, why is that, my dear Olympian?"

Achilles mind was reeling. His senses were overloaded, and now he was being provided information that changed the entire world perception of gods and goddesses of beauty.

_"Bell can resist Charm? How? Does it have something to do with his skill? That's all I can think of in this state. Fucking damnit, she's turning me into her plaything. And how the fuck could Ishtar know th-."_

His eyes widened as pieces of a different puzzle fell into place.

He turned to Freya, wide eyed.

"You destroyed Ishtar familia for him."

Freya was clearly content with him figuring this out and nodded.

"Yes. She tried to claim what wasn't hers. She didn't know her place, and so I punished her. But before I did, she told me that Bell resisted her Charm and that leads to a question I so would love answered. And, as much as I'd love to ask him in person, I so desperately wanted to see you, and I thought you would be kind enough to tell me."

Part of him was screaming to do just that. She had amplified her charm and he was now close to cracking and giving her what she wanted. Everything she wanted.

_"No! Remember! Remember! REMEMBER!"_

A series of terrible images passed through his mind. A promise. A monster. A family gone. And a smile. A terrible smile.

His eyes hardened and he turned, glaring at Freya.

"All I know," he growled. "Is that you. Freya, goddess of beauty," he closed whatever distance there was between them so that he could now stare down at her. "Is that you. Will never. Claim. BELL!"

His voice shook the very halls, deafening Allen and the elven pair for a moment, and startling even Ottar who had not expected his rival to be able to resist his goddess. That being said, it did bring a smile to his face.

_"Good to see your strength hasn't faded."_

Freya, for her part, just stared up at Achilles. Not in fear, or even shock. No, the look in her eyes was something different.

Awe.

She had thrown her Charm at him, fully, and unreservedly. Pushed him to the brink of collapsing into her waiting arms, yet here he was. Resisting her. His power shaking the very room. It sent a tingle up her spine that was so delightful it threatened to overpower her.

_"So strong. So unyielding. Even more so than before. His doubts are leaving him and his aura,"_ her eyes took in his aura, a wonderful blue that one could get lost in. For years it had been dulled, but now, it shined almost as brightly as it had fifteen years ago, and that excited her.

"You will not claim Bell. I will not allow it," he said firmly, and without a hint of doubt.

Yet Freya still smiled. This was a challenge, and one she would delightfully partake in.

"You forget, Achilles-kun," she reached out her hand towards his cheek. "I always get what I want in the end."

Her hand was stopped by his own grabbing it. This made the Freya familia positively furious. They were ready to tear him apart limb for limb for that offense, and probably would have tried had Freya not held up her hand.

"And you've apparently forgotten, Freya-_chan_," he spat. "But you've already failed once."

He threw down her arm and turned to leave. However, he made it only a few paces before he heard something.

She was laughing again.

Even more beautiful than before, it was like a song passing through the air, pulling all towards it and gently subduing them in a net of sweet promises and fiery desire.

"Oh Achilles," she said happily. "I will claim Bell, just like I'll claim you."

The room fell silent. For a long moment one could swear, in all honesty, that crypts and graveyards were noisier than the great hall of the Freya familia. But then, a crackling sound appeared, and grew louder. And louder. And a light appeared. Blue in color and furious in nature, the light and sound grew until it deafened and blinded the room.

Achilles turned, his body. His whole body, from his toes to his eyes, was covered in a sapphire lightning. His face, normally a terror to behold in his rage, now could shake the foundations of the earth with its wrath. And his eyes, now nothing more than an abyss of turquoise light, were pointed directly at Freya.

Now her familia acted without reserve. They jumped to intercept Achilles, none faster than Ottar, who, sword in hand, was prepared to take whatever blow Achilles had prepared for his lady. But even he, the King of Orario, was too slow.

Quick as the lightning that now surrounded him, Achilles raised his hand and short a bolt towards the goddess.

A cry went out through the room from her familia, yet, she did not even blink.

The bolt shot passed her, flying until it hit her throne and obliterated it, showering stone and metal shrapnel through the room.

Freya looked down. She grabbed a lock of her hair and smiled. It was singed

By the time she looked back up, Achilles was at the doors and pushed them open with such force that they flew off their hinges and down the hall, startling and injuring some of her familia, though none dared stop him for the offense.

"My lady, are you alright?" Ottar asked.

"Yes Ottar," she reassured him. "But it looks like I'll need a haircut," she said, waving the burnt strands about.

"We'll kill him!" Allen screamed, ready to make chase along with all others present.

"No," Freya said gently. "You will do no such thing." Allen looked at her in disbelief. "He is my beloved, and I shall have him, just as he is, just like I will have Bell Cranel," she informed Allen and the others. And with that, the matter was settled. Any hatred her children may have had for Achilles, had to be silenced. She desired he live, and Freya always got what she wanted.

_"And I have never wanted him as much as I do now,"_ she thought twirling the strand of hair, images of a future where both Bell and Achilles were hers filling her mind in absolutely delectable ways. _"Oh yes. I will have him and Bell. It's only a matter of time."_

She licked her lips.

And fin. Alright, this one was a bit shorter than the last two, but I do hope you can see why and still enjoyed it. I certainly had fun with it. Been playing around with this chapter for months and I'm so glad I finally put it down. That said, the adventure is only just beginning. Now that Freya's in the equation, how will Achilles, Bell, and all their friends and family deal with this new threat? Well, you're going to have to keep reading to find out. For now though, I would love it if you could tell me what you think, maybe give this story a favorite and an alert if you're interested to see more. With that, I thank you very much for reading and continuing the journey of the familias of Orario. Until next time, bye for now.


	4. Chapter 4

Hello good people. Sorry this one took a bit longer to get out than the previous, I've been a bit busy and also, I've been thinking over how I want my return to Fanfiction to go. There are certainly plenty of stories I wish to write, but I also left behind a few stories that I'm considering going back to both fix up and finish. But right now I'm a bit stuck on what to do. Anyway, that said, let's get back to our story here, and see what happens next.

I do not own Danmachi

Achilles was as livid as he was terrified. How could he not be, after what happened with Freya? After what was revealed?

"_She's after Bell. And she's still after me. After all these years,"_ his fear and rage grew the more he thought about it. "_I've painted the biggest target on the Hestia familia possible. I'm basically shouting at Freya, no, the whole fucking world, 'Hey! Come attack this place!'"_

"Shit," he growled out loud.

He needed to get back to the Hestia familia, now, courtesy to those around him be damned.

"Make me faster than even the gods. Lightning Step!" he chanted.

His legs now covered in electric power, he bent his knees before shooting like a missile into the air towards Hearthfire Manor, scaring the daylights out of those around him.

Making it back in record time, he quickly passed the gate and entered the mansion. His timing was impeccable as Bell was walking down the stairs just as he entered.

"Oh! Hello Achilles," the young man said.

"Hello Bell. Where is everyone? There's something I need to tell all of you."

Bell did not miss the serious tone the former captain was using, and concern soon shown on his face.

"They're in the lounge waiting for us. I was going to give my answer to what you asked me to think on yesterday."

With all that had happened it took Achilles a moment to remember what Bell was referring to, but when he did, he nodded.

"Ah, the secret of your skill. Right. That's good. We need that properly addressed before I reveal to you what I've learned today."

Nothing about that eased Bell's mind in the slightest. If anything, it made his fear grow, but he let the subject drop for the moment so that he could address the matter at hand.

The two entered the lounge where the rest of the familia, including Hestia herself, were sitting with clearly glum and worried expressions.

"Bell. Achilles," Hestia greeted, though she greeted her original member with less energy and joy than she normally did.

"Hestia. Everyone," Bell said, his tone a tad colder than it usually was, which no one failed to notice. "There's something I need to say to all of you and you're all going to listen," he said, his voice commanding and leaving no room for argument. "You all kept a secret from me. A secret that I not only had every right to know, but which was about myself." His familia looked ready to argue, and Achilles was about to glare at them to remain silent, but Bell actually beat him to the punch and his glare caused them to immediately retreat. "I thought about your reasoning. I do admit that I'm not the best at keeping secrets. Never have been, and probably never will be, but," his fists clenched until the knuckles turned bone white. "You didn't trust me. You kept something secret from," he took a breath. "We're a familia, and familia are supposed to trust each other. You failed in that regard and now I am failing in turn as I find it hard to trust all of you." Each one of his familia looked at him with heartbroken eyes, none more so than Hestia who appeared on the verge of tears. "But I don't want it to be like this," Bell continued.

Hestia's tears stilled as just a tinge of hope entered her eyes.

"I want this to be addressed fully so, not only can we move forward with no bad blood, but that we can be sure that this never happens again. Can you all agree to that?"

"Of course," Welf said.

"Yes!" Lily replied instantly, her own face riddled with the same guilt and pain that was on Hestia's, missus only the tears.

"Absolutely," Mikoto said as Haruhime nodded vigorously.

Bell turned to Hestia who, with tears streaming down her face, gave a single, firm nod.

"Alright. Then the first thing I want to do is mutual apologizes. We will all apologize for not trusting each other, myself included."

Achilles looked at Bell curiously, wondering why Bell would have to apologize. It appeared he wasn't the only one as Hestia spoke.

"You don't need to apologize for anything, Bell." The nods of the rest of his familia clearly showed they were in agreement.

Bell shook his head.

"But I did lose trust in you because of this, and I can't deny that I was angry with all of you, so I won't feel right unless I apologize," he said seriously. "So I'll begin."

With that, he placed himself before his familia, fell to his knees, placed his hands before him, and put his head down.

"I'm sorry for not trusting you. We're a familia and we should always have the utmost faith in each other. I hope you can forgive me."

The sight of Bell bowing before them was enough to bring tears to the eyes of all those he now apologized to. Behind Bell, Achilles watched the scene unfold with clear astonishment.

"_For the sake of his familia he took upon himself a sin that he was not truly guilty of,"_ he smiled. "_When is he going to stop impressing me?"_

Not able to stand the sight of Bell prostrating himself before them any longer, his familia quickly begged him to cease.

"Alright," Bell said standing up, his eyes fixed on his familia. "Your turn."

Instantly every one of them moved to place themselves before him and, mimicking his actions, bowed with their heads to the floor in apology.

"I, Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth, beg your forgiveness, and swear never to lie or hold secrets from you again," she began.

"Lili too, begs Bell-sama for his forgiveness and swears to always be true from now on."

"I'm so sorry Bell for keeping this from you, and hope you can forgive me. I promise to never keep anything from you from here on out," Welf.

"Once more I have acted dishonorable to you, Bell. I most humbly ask for your pardon and accept any punishment you see fit to rectify this injury, while also swearing only the whole truth from now on."

"I have always been unworthy of Bell-sama from the day we first met, yet never have I felt so unworthy of you and your friendship as I do now. This Haruhime most desperately asks for your forgiveness, promising you her utmost fealty and honesty from this day forth, no matter what."

All in all, it was an impressive sight. A princess renart, a skilled master of ninjutsu, a magic sword smith, a shapeshifting prum, and even a goddess were all bowing their head, willing and in an act of repentance, to a boy not yet fifteen years old. Truly, Achilles recognized, the stuff of legends.

Bell nodded.

"Alright. That's step one. Now step two."

Each of his familia raised their head to ask what was step two, only to find out the instant they did so.

Had Achilles not been a level seven, he might very well have missed what happened, but, fortunately for him, he was, and didn't.

Quicker than any rabbit, and before any of them could realize what was happening or put up a defense, Bell chopped them each on the forehead. Not enough for serious damage, but enough that pain was assured and that they would feel it for some time after.

Everyone one of the Hestia familia were grabbing their foreheads in pain as they tried to figure out what just happened. Bell, now that his task was done, simply smiled at them.

"And that's so you remember your promises."

They all stared at him for a moment, not completely believing that what had just happened, had indeed happened, but eventually the shock began to recede. When it did, Welf smiled and chuckled.

"Well I guess we had that coming."

This comment sparked a few noises of agreement, a chuckle or two, and at least one complaint of a pained forehead. However, the tension that had been plaguing the Hestia familia for the past day, had evaporated and the trust was restored.

"With that settled," Bell said, helping everyone back to their feet. "I think Achilles needed to talk to us about something."

The reminded instantly soured Achilles mood and he sighed.

"You're all going to want to sit down for this," he warned.

The seriousness of his tone snuffed out the joy and relief in the room and the Hestia familia did as requested.

Achilles took a seat himself and after a deep breath, began.

"I began today by going to the Loki familia, to inform Loki I was here, catch up with my old acquaintances, and to meet Aiz Wallenstein," he began. "Things went well enough. Loki was, as I suspected, about as happy to see me as she'd be if she found out there was no more wine in Orario," a few small smiles appeared. "The Loki familia in general doesn't appear to like me very much, though I'll admit I was not the most courteous guest. And with regards to Wallenstein-san," he looked at the white haired adventurer. "I'm sorry Bell, but I can't say I approve of your choice."

Shock filled Bell's eyes, with sadness and disappointment soon following.

"Why?" he asked, his voice strained and unquestionably upset.

"I'll answer that with another question. Are you aware that Aiz is obsessed with the One Eyed Black Dragon?"

The look of surprise on the young man's face answered the question.

"That's the reason," Achilles continued. "She very clearly means to confront that thing at some point in the future. A task that's effectively committing suicide. Given your feelings for her, I'm concerned that you'll feel compelled to aid her in her insane endeavor. That alone is enough to make me weary of her."

"_My thoughts on your potential be damned. Even if you could face that thing it'd be the worst fight of your life and I will not encourage you towards that end."_

Bell wanted to defend Aiz, truly he did, but he knew, if what Achilles said about her and the dragon was true, that he couldn't. If she ran off to fight that monster, he would want to help her and nothing Achilles or even his familia said would change that. He loved her and he wanted to be there for her, in good times and bad.

The kicked puppy look on Bell's face broke Achilles's heart, and so he quickly continued.

"However, were you able to convince her to drop her quest, that would do a great deal to ease my concern, though I still think you can do better. Especially given all the beautiful women surrounding you.

As Bell blushed, his heart now somewhat lightened, Hestia and Lili were nodding off to the side, pleased with Achilles's position. Haruhime, to her embarrassment, felt much the same, but had the decency not to display it like the other two ladies of Hestia familia.

"But that's not the issue," Achilles stated, knowing that he still had to inform the Hestia familia of what he learned from Freya.

Their joy and embarrassment now gone, the familia waited for him to continue.

"The issue came right after I left the Loki familia and was met by my old acquaintance, Ottar, and numerous other high level Freya familia."

Everyone tensed, but said nothing, but waited for him to continue.

"I knew Freya would want to speak with me, given our past." The Hestia familia gained a tint of curiosity in their eyes, but did not press him at that moment. "And given that even the best result for a confrontation would be wise to avoid, I went with them."

The bones of his knuckles looked ready to burst out of his skin as his hand tightened, but he continued.

"I was taken to Freya familia mansion and presented to the goddess of beauty herself, and it was there that she began to reveal some things that, even now, make my skin crawl."

The anxiety in the room grew exponentially at that and it would only get worse once Achilles turned to Bell.

"Bell, have you ever felt like someone was watching you? That there was a pair of eyes on you, but you couldn't find from where?"

"Yes," Bell answered. "But I now know who it was."

That surprised the level seven.

"You do?"

Bell nodded.

"It was right after we rescued Haruhime and the pillar of light appeared. I saw a figure standing right next to the pillar and I felt the same tingle up my spine I'd felt whenever I thought someone was watching me. The person standing there was Freya-sama."

Looks of apprehension and outright fear now plastered the faces of his familia, none more so than Hestia.

"And," Bell continued. "She said something. I couldn't hear, but somehow I knew what she said. She...she said-."

"I love you."

Everyone looked at Achilles who sighed.

"Fucking damnit. I was hoping for once she was lying."

"Achilles," Hestia said, her body noticeably shaking. "What are you telling us?"

He looked at her, then to each member of the familia that had so quickly wormed its way into his heart, before finally landing on Bell.

"I'm saying that Freya, the woman who controls the most powerful familia in Orario, and is perhaps the most dangerous person in this city, means to claim Bell."

The room fell silent. All were in shock, none more so than Bell whose mind was reeling, trying desperately to try and understand what he'd just been told.

"W-Why?" the young man asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

Achilles sighed again.

"You caught her eye. Apparently you have a unique aura. One that's not only as bright as a star, but is completely clear," at the confused looks on the familia's faces, he continued. "Basically your soul is completely new. Not only have you never been reincarnated, but neither have your parents, which means that they're either spirits or...well...or your grandfather was the only god in your family."

This information floored everyone in the room, doing nothing to relieve them of their confusion.

"Unfortunately, it gets worse," he said.

"What could possibly be worse?" Hestia asked.

"While I was there Freya admitted to me that the reason she destroyed Ishtar familia was for Bell."

Bell's jaw dropped.

"W-What?"

Achilles hated the look on Bell's face, but he needed to continue, the pain stabbing at his heart be damned.

"I suspect that the reason Ishtar kidnapped you was to get back at Freya whom she's always hated. Freya, in turn, not liking the idea of anyone claiming what she considers already hers, attacked and destroyed Ishtar familia, and sent Ishtar herself back to Heaven as retribution. Freya destroyed one of the most powerful familias in Orario, in a single night, for you Bell."

Poor Bell was reeling at this news and actually fell back into his seat as if his very body was now too heavy for him to lift. His familia wasn't doing much better, but, to his monstrous regret, Achilles wasn't done.

"There's...there's one more thing that makes this worse."

Everyone looked at him, in Bell's case, he didn't even move his neck, his eyes just moved towards him while his body remained entirely motionless.

Achilles sighed.

"You're not the only one Freya's after. In fact you're not the only one in this room."

Terror seeped into every Hestia familia member who quickly tried to figure out who he meant. Except for Bell. The young man just kept looking directly into Achilles's eyes until the man finally couldn't hold his gaze anymore and dropped his eyes.

"She's after you."

Everyone turned to Bell who now sat up.

"She's after you too, Achilles-san?"

Achilles, feeling everyone's eyes on him, nodded.

"Yes," he looked up at the familia. "And you have my sincerest apologies. I knew my presence would increase the attention to your familia no matter what, but combined with Freya's desire for Bell, I've put you all in terrible danger." He got up from his seat and quickly fell to his knees and pushed his head to the floor. "I am truly, unreservedly, and terribly sorry for the danger I am putting you all in."

A soft hand on his shoulder made him look up.

"You didn't put us in any danger, Achilles-kun," Hestia said with a smile. "Freya is the one who's putting us in danger and, if anything, you being here puts us in a better position than we would have been without you."

"Hestia-sama," he looked around and saw that everyone was smiling, even if it was clear they were still worried. He smiled as well. "Thank you." He stood up. "However, I do have one bit of good news."

"That's a relief," Hestia said.

"Bell, when you were in Ishtar familia, did you happen to meet Ishtar herself?"

A furious blush suddenly burst on poor Bell's face at the mention of the goddess.

"I-I did y-yes," he said, refusing to look anyone in the eye.

Trepidation filled the room, but Achilles continued.

"I think I know the answer already, especially given that blush, but, to make sure. Did she try anything?"

"W-W-What d-do you m-mean, A-Achilles-san?" Bell replied, desperate not to answer.

"Alright I'll be blunt given I can't allow your embarrassment to stop me from getting this answer. Did Ishtar try to seduce you, take you, ravage you, or in any other way try and claim your body and soul?"

Everyone's mouth dropped. Bell looked ready to faint. Hestia and Lili were the first to recover as fury suddenly entered their eyes as they turned to Bell who, having everyone's eyes suddenly on him, knew he couldn't get out of this.

Dropping his head, he gave one solitary nod.

Hestia looked ready to jump out of her skin, but Achilles quickly held up his hand to single them to hold off until he was done.

"And during this did there ever come a time where Ishtar was upset or downright angry."

Bell looked up.

"Y-Yeah. She was really upset about something. She kept saying things like 'why it wasn't working' and she even screamed about something, but I don't know what."

Achilles sighed, this time in relief and even chuckled lightly.

"_At least her honesty extended to that as well."_

"There's a reason for that, Bell," Achilles continued. "Ishtar is a goddess of beauty. If she wanted to seduce you, you should have been seduced. Charmed, to be more precise. But you weren't."

"Maybe she didn't use her charm?" Bell said.

"Oh no, she did, that's why she was angry. It wasn't working on you." Everyone looked at him confused. "While I was at Freya she asked me something. She asked me to answer a question that Ishtar had presented for her and which she was very interested in finding out. She wanted to know why you couldn't be Charmed."

Bell was clearly confused. He knew of the Charm ability, indeed his run in with Ishtar had made it a serious danger, but, perhaps due to his unknown immunity, he never understood its dangers as well as others. The rest of his familia did.

"Bell can't be Charmed?!" Hestia cried out in shock.

"Apparently. Ishtar herself told Freya before she was sent back to Heaven, but evidently didn't give her a reason why or perhaps Freya didn't allow her to tell her. Either is possible. Whatever the case, I have no reason to doubt it's true, and I suspect I know the reason," he looked back at Bell. "That skill of yours. You're so focused on Aiz Wallenstein that you're literally immune to other women, Charm or no Charm."

That bit of news dulled any elation Hestia, Lili, and Haruhime might have felt at the news, and now, after meeting Aiz herself, Achilles himself couldn't honestly say he wasn't in their camp, but he needed to press forward.

"That means, Bell, that Freya's greatest weapon for claiming you is now off the table."

Bell, now understanding, at least in part, grew a smile and some of the tension eased out of his body.

"But that doesn't mean this is over," Achilles quickly warned. "Freya is still the leader of the most powerful familia in Orario and if she should decide to use that, even with me here, you all won't last half as long as Ishtar did."

That solemn truth quickly destroyed the elation from earlier, but they nodded nonetheless.

"And Charm is not the only thing Freya has in her arsenal of seduction. She can pull you in without even touching on that power. It's what she's good at. And we cannot underestimate her intelligence and cunning. I am being completely honest when I say she's probably within the top five most intelligent deities in all of Heaven."

"You're not making it sound like we have much of a chance," Lili complained.

"I apologize if I make it sound so terrible, but I only want you to know exactly what you're facing. No sugar-coating. Freya, to me, is the second most terrifying entity in this world, and I think you all can guess what the first is."

The nervous sweat returned, but Achilles quickly continued.

"That said, we're not hopeless in this situation in the least."

"You have something in mind?" the divine loli asked.

"I do. I was thinking about it on the way here and I have the framework of a plan in mind." Everyone's shoulders lost a bit of tension at this, glad to know there was something they could do in this new and terrifying situation. "Firstly, Hestia-sama, you must start recruiting in earnest. We need more members to this familia. I know that you have that debt, but with me being here that shouldn't matter anymore. I am easily worth 200 million valis and will help pay off the debt." Hestia smiled at him and nodded. "I also need you to go to your friendly familia and tell them what I told you," Achilles continued. "It's likely they'll be dragged into this whether they like it or not, so giving them warning will do them some good. Besides, Freya works best from the shadows. If her intentions are known, we can be on the watch for them." Hestia nodded, though she did feel a bit of guilt eating at her heart at the idea that she might be dragging them into something that was really none of their concern. "The rest of you," he turned to the adventurers. "Tomorrow we will be going to the Dungeon so that I can see what you're capable of and know where you need to improve. After that I'll think up a training regime for each of you to get you ready for whatever comes. Be prepared, it's going to be gruelling. I'll effectively be trying to raise your levels as fast as Bell." A bead of sweat went down each of their temples. "But, for today, prepare. Calm your minds. Pray. It doesn't really matter. Today is yours. Though I might suggest that Welf-san goes with Hestia-sama to Hephaestus's to use some of that smithing charm on her." The redhead blushed, causing the smiles to return. "I'll deal with Loki familia myself tomorrow. As much as Loki hates my guts, given the situation, I think I'm the best one to talk to her. But for today," he turned to Bell. "I will be beginning Bell's training immediately."

Bell jumped to his feet.

"I'll get ready immediately."

"You won't need your armor or weapons for this, Bell."

The young man stopped and looked at him confused.

"This will be a different kind of training. The same training that your grandfather had me do when I was in a similar situation as you." The mention of his grandfather peaked Bell's interest. "However, I do warn you, it's going to be uncomfortable, and you might very well hate me by the end."

That surprised Bell and the others, but the white-haired adventurer quickly shook his head.

"I could never hate you, Achilles-san."

"Oh, believe me Bell, that's not true, but appreciate you saying so nonetheless," he smiled at the Hestia captain. "But before we begin I need to get something so meet me at the main square in about an hour. That alright?"

Bell gave him a determined smile and nod.

"Good. Now, I believe we all have preparations to make. Let's get to it."

"Right!" The Hestia familia declared.

Bell waited patiently for Achilles to appear in the square, even as his mind was racing about in a fear induced stupor.

"_Freya-sama is after me? But why? I know Achilles-san said it was my aura, but what does that mean? That I might be descended from a spirit or god. But I thought they couldn't have children,"_ he paused as he remembered something. "_But the Sword Hero was said to have married a spirit and had a daughter with her. So, maybe it is possible. Gah! I'm so confused and I can't honestly say I'm not afraid right now for what's to come."_

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts he didn't notice Achilles until he placed a hand on his shoulder, causing the boy to jump.

"Easy, Bell. Easy. It's just me," the older man said.

"A-Achilles-san! I'm sorry," Bell apologized in mortification.

"It's alright, Bell. I can guess what's running through your mind right now, and you're completely justified in being worried, if not outright afraid."

The honesty and compassion in Achilles's voice calmed Bell and a sense of safety fell over him. The worries weren't gone by any means, but with his fellow captain next to him, they didn't seem so daunting.

"Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome. Now, let's get going. What I have in mind will likely take some time and we need to get it done before dark."

Bell didn't know what Achilles had in mind, but he trusted the level seven well enough to simply nod and follow after him.

The two walked through the streets of Orario, getting a mixture of looks, some friendly, for those who recognized Bell, and others uneasy for those who recognized Achilles. Still, they were left alone and continued without issue.

"So Achilles-san, what's this training you have in mind?"

"It's probably best I don't tell you. You'll probably run if I do." That didn't sound good to Bell. "I will say that if it's successful, it should, hopefully, minimize Freya's ability to seduce you."

The mention of the goddess caused a tingle of fear to crawl up Bell's spine, but, pushing it aside, he nodded and continued to follow Achilles towards whatever destination he was leading him too.

As time passed Bell began to notice that the buildings were becoming more and more familiar to him. That wasn't surprising as the boy had been all over the city and knew it rather well, but these particular buildings were not ones he expected nor in all honesty, wanted to see again anytime soon.

"A-Achilles-san."

The Olympian looked at him.

"Looks like you figured out where we're going."

Before Bell had time to react, he found himself being thrown over Achilles's shoulder and held firmly in place.

"Achilles-san! What are you doing?!"

"Sorry, Bell. I can't risk you running away. This needs to be done, morbid embarrassment or not."

Bell tried to struggle out of Achilles's grip. He really did, but he was no match for the level seven's strength and so could do nothing as they made their way further and further into the red light district.

Things were quiet for a moment and there was barely anyone on the streets. Not a surprise really, given it was still firmly daytime. The few that were out watched in surprise as the giant former captain passed them by with the Hestia captain, face covered in mortification, thrown over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes.

Finally they arrived at the location Achilles had in mind.

"Bell, this was Ishtar familia's base, correct?"

Bell uncovered his eyes and looked up. It was indeed Belit Babili.

"Y-Yes. This is it."

"Great," and with that, Achilles walked inside, a now even more terrified Bell struggling with renewed vigor.

"Excuse me," an amazon said. "We're closed at the moment sir, but if you come back later I'd be more than happy to help you," she said with a seductive smile, recognizing a strong male when she saw one.

"Well, thank you for the offer, nice to have such a lovely lady's attention. But I'm actually here in hopes of meeting a woman named Aisha Belka. She wouldn't happen to be in, would she?"

The amazon appeared a bit peeved at the idea of being passed over, which Achilles quickly noticed.

"It's not for me. I actually need some help with this guy," he turned to show Bell, who had uncovered his face at the mention of Aisha.

"Rabbit Foot!" The amazon said in surprise, which quickly turned into delight as she turned back to Achilles. "Please come in! I'll go get her right away."

"Thank you very much," Achilles said, following after her.

Belit Babili had been repaired since Freya's attack and Achilles gave them credit for their tasteful decorum. Zeus and members of his familia had dragged him to numerous brothels throughout the years trying to get their captain, "some action" as they would always say, and so many of them had no idea how to use subtlety and just threw themselves at you with bright colors and scents that tried to drown you.

"A-Achilles-san. What's going on?" Bell asked desperately.

"You'll find out in a moment."

It did not take long for the amazon to return, not only with Aisha, but with an entire entourage of amazons, elves, humans, prums, and even dwarves, all naturally prostitutes by the look of them.

Aisha walked up to Achilles with an aura of temptation, though he did notice there was a bit of fear in her eyes. She could tell their difference in level, but was doing her best to act naturally.

"I heard we had guests, but dear Sharay failed to mention how strong and handsome they were."

Achilles laughed.

"Thank you for the compliment. I take it your Aisha Belka?"

"I am indeed. And to what do I owe this pleasure, mister…"

"Achilles. Achilles Caesar."

Murmurs went through the crowd of women at the name and Aisha's apprehension became a bit harder to hide.

"So it's true. The legendary captain of the Zeus familia has returned to Orario," she said.

"I have indeed. And, before I get to why I'm here, I just wanted to thank you," he grabbed Bell and gently placed him in front of everyone, making sure to keep a hand on him so he couldn't run away. "Bell here told me about all the help you've given him and his familia. I appreciate you watching over him before I got here."

"Oh, if it isn't my dear little rabbit. It's been such a long time since we talked," she cooed, pleased to see him again.

Her hand fell to the young man's cheek and began to caress it, causing his face to heat up as he tried to respond.

"H-Hello, Aisha. It's nice to see you."

"I'm glad to hear it. I have missed you terribly. We should make up for lost time," she punctuated this was caressing his unarmored torso, causing him to stiffen and his face to somehow redden further.

"We-we-we, we're actually here for training!" he cried out.

That startled Aisha, but only for a moment as her usual, seductive smile quickly returned.

"Training, huh? Are you going to finally let me devour you?"

Bell was, for the second time that day, close to fainting, but shook his head desperately.

"T-T-That's not what I meant!"

"Really? Then what kind of training are you here for?" she asked, clearly enjoying playing with him.

"Actually that's not far from what I had in mind."

Everyone turned to Achilles. Bell almost broke his neck with the speed of which he looked up at his fellow captain, his eyes wide in horror.

"Oh?" Aisha inquired, unreservedly pleased at the turn of events. "What did you have in mind?"

"I need Bell to know what it's like to be seduced. As he is right now, a random flirtatious girl on the street is enough to cause his face to burst into a burning blush. So, I was hoping you, and if your fellow lovely ladies would like to join in," he said gesturing towards the women who all gave him smiles or giggles. "Would train him. You will attempt to seduce him in any way possible, except drugs and aphrodisiacs. And no "devouring" him. You are to get him to come to you." A few of the Berbera gave off noises of annoyance. "Your end goal is to get him to kiss you."

"Just a kiss?" Aisha teased.

"It'll be his first, if I'm not mistaken," he said looking down at Bell who was so close to unconsciousness it was terribly funny for everyone but him.

"His first," Aisha touched her lips, which soon turned into a predatory smile. "I think we can do that."

"Of course you'll be paid," Achilles stated, reaching into a pocket. He pulled out a beautiful gem stone and held it up. If I remember correctly, a standard transaction in the red light district was 10,000 valis for one night. Higher class ladies, such as yourselves, ranged from 20 to 50,000. This gem is worth 500,000 valis." A few eyes twinkled at that. "Consider it a down payment for continued training as this will certainly not be the only time we come here." Poor Bell finally fainted and only failed to fall over due to Achilles continued grip on his shoulder. "And, to make sure you're fully committed." Achilles reached into his pocket again and pulled out and even more beautiful gem. "The one who gets Bell to willing give them his first kiss gets this gem, worth 1,000,000 valis, all to themselves."

The Berbera were practically drooling now. Not only were they effectively being handed Bell on a silver platter, an adventurer, most of them had wanted for months, but they were being offered a treasure trove for the task.

"That said," Achilles continued, putting the gem away. "I am Bell's guardian. This is a kind of training, but it does have limits. You are allowed most of your usual arsenal in order to seduce him. But that is the goal. Seduction. You are not allowed claim him," he said seriously. "If I get even a hint that any of you attempted to 'devour' him, I will make what Freya did to you look like a light afternoon spar. Do. I. Make. Myself. **Clear.**"

He punctuate this by grabbing his sword and releasing just enough of his power for everyone in the room to feel it, including Bell, who woke up.

"P-Perfectly," Aisha said.

"Excellent," Achilles said, regaining his smile. "Then have at it," he said, suddenly pushing the confused rabbit like boy into the awaiting arms of Aisha.

"A-Aisha?"

"Oh," she stroked his cheek. "You and I are going to have so much fun, Bell."

Bell's face lit up, and he tried to break out of her hold, but couldn't. While Bell's strength at level four was arguably that of a standard level five, Aisha was an amazon, and thus she could match him. More importantly, she now had Bell in her grasp. A young man she had desired since the moment she first met him, and to whom she had grown to care for more and more as time went on.

"Come on Bell. I promise you'll enjoy it," she whispered in his ear before turning and carrying the struggling Hestia captain up the stairs towards the luxury suite, a hoard of lovely ladies of the night following after her eagerly.

"Oh Bell, I hope you'll be able to forgive me," Achilles said to himself.

And done. I initially planned for this chapter to be much longer and include some other things, but decided to cut if off here so that I could have an...interesting scene with Bell and Aisha next chapter. Yes, that means some citrusy goodness for those interested in such things, though not a full on lemon. That said, I do look forward to it, and I hope you all do as well. For now though, please like, alert, and review. Tell me what you think of the stories. Possible ways to improve or things I might have missed, which has been known to happen. Also, I reiterate what I said at the beginning. I don't know how my return to this sight is going to go. Whether or not I'll be focusing mostly on new stories, or also working to fix some of my older...less well-written works. If you have an opinion on the matter feel free to leave a review or PM me on the matter. With that, thank you very much for ready, and I'll see you all in the next one. Bye for now.


	5. Chapter 5

Hi guys. I wanted to begin this by pointing out some valid criticism I received from a pair of reviewers.

"Anon" pointed out to me that Achilles was coming off too strong, effectively taking control of Bell's life and ordering him about, even though they had only known each other for a few days.

Our Soaring Wings reminded me that I was having Achilles force Bell to relive his near rape experience and was turning it into a joke. I find this one particularly egregious on my part as what Bell went through in volume seven is particularly memorable and I've talked about it on numerous occasions as evidence that the series is a lot darker than I think most people view it.

The reason I bring these reviews up is multifold. First off, I want you to know that I do read what you have to say and, while I do greatly appreciate the kind words, this also includes criticism. If there's something wrong with my story, like what these two pointed out, I should address it. On that note, I will actually be working on fixing those issues in this chapter. I even briefly considered deleting chapter four as my failure, especially with regards to Soaring Wings's point, was quite profound. However, after thinking about it for a while, and even losing some sleep over it, I figured out a way to fix what I did wrong while also improving the story.

I'd also like to give a big shout out to kallin22 who I have had the pleasure of having a discussion with the last few weeks and who has pointed out some of my mistakes throughout the story. Our conversations have been quite enjoyable and I thank you for the help.

So, to "Anon", Our Soaring Wings, and kallin22 I just want to say, thank you for bringing to my attention these issues. Often the problem with us writers is that, once we have an idea in our head, especially one we're excited about, we tend to become a bit tunnel visioned and miss things, at least that's been my experience. So, once again, thank you, and for the rest of my readers, please feel free to review, even if it's criticism. I want my stories to be good ones and while criticism isn't the most fun thing in the world, it does help. That said, here's the next chapter, new and improved. I hope you enjoy.

Oh, and reminder, this is a citrusy chapter with just a touch of lime juice, so there. If you don't like that, you have been warned.

I do not own Danmachi

* * *

Bell was carried upstairs in Aisha's arms, a hoard of eager ladies of the night following closely after.

Memories of the last time something similar happened, filled his mind, and he began to hyperventilate.

Aisha, not failing to notice this, didn't take long to figure out what was going on and why. Had this been any other man, she would have ignored him and proceeded anyway, intent on devouring him. But this was Bell. The man who had rescued Haruhime. The man who had garnered her interest and, if she was being completely honest, her affection. So, that in mind, she knew what she had to do.

Entering into the grand suite of the former Ishtar familia, she quickly threw deposited him on the ground, the poor boy's legs shaking fiercely, before very quickly shutting the door and locking it, causing an instant uproar from her fellow prostitutes.

"Hey!"

"Aisha, let us in!"

"He said that we could all join in!"

Numerous voices and countless complaints leaked through the door, but Aisha didn't respond. The door was locked and unless they cared to bust it down, something which would be difficult for anyone under level 3 given that the door was reinforced after the Freya raid, then they would just have to swallow their complaints.

"Bell," she finally said, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin.

"Y-Y-Yes?!" he squeaked.

She sighed. She walked up to him and, gently placing her hands on his cheeks and looking him in the eye, she said.

"Breathe."

Bell froze. He recognized that the look in her eyes was no longer that of a lioness preparing to devour him, but something far softer. However, given how quick the shift was and the frazzled state of his mind, it still took him a moment to respond. Finally though, he blinked before closing his eyes and taking a deep breathe.

"Good," she said breaking away. She went over and sat on the bed. "Come here."

Bell blushed, but she waved him off.

"We're not doing that. Just come here."

He was hesitant for a split second longer, but did as requested.

"_If she says we're not doing that, we're not,"_ Bell recognized.

Sitting down, he didn't have long to wait before she continued.

"You're thinking about the night we met."

He froze for a moment, but soon nodded.

"Do you hate me, Bell?"

His head shot up and he turned to her with wide eyes.

"What? Of course not, Aisha-san!"

"But you're afraid of me."

He paused. It was true he found her intimidating, but he didn't fear her, not really.

"I-I'm not afraid of you, exactly. It's more…" he thought for a moment. "It's more that you want something I'm not comfortable giving."

Aisha smiled.

"_Such a pure boy. So nervous, yet so sure at the same time."_

"I see," she replied.

The room fell quiet for a moment, neither side uncomfortable, but neither side knowing exactly how to proceed, before a question came to Aisha.

"Does Achilles know?"

It did not take long for Bell to understand what she meant. He shook his head.

"He knows the broad details of what happened. How I met and rescued Haruhime. How Freya familia attacked. But he doesn't know about...about the chase or Phryne. No one in my familia does. I...I can't tell them. I feel like they'd be disappointed in me. Disgusted even."

Aisha felt her heart break at that and, before either of them knew what was happening, she had Bell wrapped in her arms and his head placed firmly, yet gently, on her breasts.

"A-Aisha-san!" he cried, though his voice was muffled in her cleavage.

"Why would they be disappointed or disgusted with you? You outran an entire familia. Including a level five. You left as pure as you were when you arrived. If anyone thinks otherwise I'll show them where they can shove those thoughts."

The passion behind those were words stunned Bell, and he looked up at Aisha who was now petting his hair softly. The conviction in her eyes was startling, yet comforting, and he soon found the tension draining away.

Aisha could feel him relax, which she was profoundly glad for. She even took a moment to enjoy the small smile that came to his face as his worries began to fade. However, as much as she was enjoying this, there were questions and issues she wanted to bring forward, and she knew she had to proceed.

Slowly parting from him, something which caused Bell to remember that he was face first in her breasts, which brought his blush back, she smiled at him and continued their conversation.

"So Achilles doesn't know what happened that night. That would explain why he brought you here. If he had, given that threat earlier, I suspect he would have finished what Freya started."

It was meant as a joke, but neither of them laughed as they both recognized there was truth to her words.

"But I am surprised, Bell. After you rescued Haruhime I thought you were man enough not to find yourself it such situations."

Bell looked at her, confused.

"What do you mean, Aisha-san?"

"What do I mean? Achilles dragged you here didn't he? You, a level four and captain of a familia." Bell's face was enough to answer her. "Let me guess. You were star-struck by his being, not only a level seven, but also the captain of a legendary former familia. A hero and whatnot." Bell's embarrassment increased and his head dropped before he nodded. Aisha looked at the downcast young man for a moment, before reaching out, pinching his nose and shaking his head. "You're a man, Bell. If you don't like something, you have to put your foot down, just like you did with Haruhime. If Achilles is worth your admiration, he'll respect that," she let him go. "You can't let yourself be pulled around because you admire someone. It was irresponsible of him to drag you around and force you into something, but it was equally as wrong for you just to go along with it."

Bell, in spite of the pain in his nose, heard what she had to say and knew she was right. He had been so star-struck by Achilles that he hadn't really set restrictions of the man's actions towards himself or his familia. He'd just gone along with it. It certainly hadn't helped that over the last two days he had been provided information that he was still wrapping his head around, from his skill to Freya. Yet, Aisha was still right. He was the captain of his familia. A level four, and a man. A man didn't let others dictate his life or his actions, even if they respected and admired them.

"_That means you can't let it happen with Aiz either,"_ a voice whispered in the back of his mind.

Her words taken to heart, and his will resolved, he looked at her again, his eyes firm and unwavering.

"You're right, Aisha-san. Thank you for reminding me," he said with a smile.

Aisha felt her heart skip a beat.

"_Gods of the night he sure can get a girl going."_

"You're welcome," she said as she grew a sly smile. "That said, I would still like to offer you my services."

It took a moment for Bell to realize what she meant, given the massive divergence their conversation had taken, but when he did, he didn't disappoint as a burning blush erupted on his face.

"_So strong, yet still so innocent,"_ she thought.

Bringing herself closer to him, and doing so in such a manner that he had a wonderful view down her cleavage, she continued, her words burning within sinful delight.

"We don't have to do anything, not really. But I do think that you should learn not to be so shy with women and," she leaned in next to his ear and whispered. "Our bodies."

Bell made a hasting retreat, falling backwards onto the bed, before pushing himself up and scooching away.

"B-B-But you said t-that A-Achilles-san…" he couldn't manage to finish.

"He was wrong to force you to come here, but he wasn't wrong about you needing to learn," she countered before reclosing the distance and placing herself above him. "You don't need to be so shy with women, Bell. Though I'll admit it's absolutely adorable." His blush grew. "All I'm asking is the chance to make you a bit more comfortable around us members of the fairer sex. Will you allow me that opportunity, Beee-lluuuu-kuuun?"

Bell was once again frozen. He had never been good with situations like these. His grandfather had always encourage him towards a life filled with beautiful women and he'd be lying if he said there wasn't a part of him that liked the idea. But his feelings towards Aiz were unquestionable. He wanted her more than he ever desired the idea of harem or anything close to that. Still, he understood, logically, that he was at a severe disadvantage whenever it came to a beautiful woman. From Aisha all the way to Hestia, he had found himself in situations in which he did not know how to proceed.

"_And would it be so bad to be comfortable around women before earning Aiz-san's love?"_ he asked himself. He thought on that a moment. A part of him felt like it was a betrayal, but another stated that he wasn't actually doing anything. He would still give her his everything, only now he wouldn't be so uncomfortable when he did. Indeed, getting some confidence in this area could actually help him secure her affections sooner. That thought in his mind, he knew what to do.

Aisha looked down on her little white rabbit patiently. She saw the wheels in his head turning and was curious to see what he decided. Finally, light returned to his eyes and he looked her straight in the eyes, his gaze as firm and unwavering as before.

"Please teach me."

Desire rocked through Aisha like she hadn't felt since the days Ishtar Charmed her into obedience. She wanted this boy. Hell, she was almost inclined to say she needed him, but she was a woman of her word and if she said they weren't going to do that, they weren't.

"_Doesn't mean I'm not going to try in the future,"_ she thought.

"Alright," she said. "Let's start with something simple."

Bell looked at her expectantly.

"I want you to look at me. All of me. Every inch."

Bell's blush returned, but he steeled himself and did as requested.

His eyes began to trace over her body. He started somewhere he considered neutral; her hair. The dark locks were lovely, like black silk gently falling over her shoulders. Letting his gaze lower, he looked on her forehead, getting himself comfortable with her caramel skin before continuing on. His eyes briefly met hers, earning him a smile and reigniting his blush, but not stopping his progress.

He continued down, his eyes quickly taking in her cheeks before finally hitting his first real challenge. Her lips.

They were beautiful. Painted as they were, they maintained a simple beauty that was both charming and enticing. Kissing them would be delightful, that was for sure and, for a moment, Bell, without realizing it, was tempted to do just that.

So wrapped up in his thoughts was he that he didn't realize he was staring. Aisha, for her part, was completely content to allow him to do just that. If he tried anything, she would stop him. Not because she wanted him to, but because he needed to learn. Even so, the power of his gaze caused her to instinctively lick her lips.

The sudden movement caused Bell to snap out of his stupor. It took another moment for him to realize what had happened, and when he did, his embarrassment was so profound that he threw himself into the pillows behind him and buried his face.

Aisha laughed.

"Come on Bell, if you can't be that innocent."

He slowly pulled himself out of the pillows, though his embarrassment was still plain as day to see.

"I was thinking something I shouldn't have."

"That you wanted to kiss me?"

Despite his embarrassment nearly choking him now, he nodded.

"Is that such a bad thing?"

"No? Yes? I don't know," his head fell.

"Bell, finding a woman attractive doesn't make you a lecher. I'll let you in on a little secret. A lot of women like it when someone finds them attractive."

Bell met her gaze for a moment, as if trying to gauge whether or not she was telling the truth, before replying.

"Well...you are very beautiful, Aisha."

Now it was Aisha's turn to be embarrassed. Oh she had been complimented before, often in quite crude and vulgar manners. That was nothing new. But the pure, unrestrained, and completely honest way he said those words, made it a greater compliment than any she had ever received before.

"Thank you Bell. Now, shall we continue."

With a nod from the young rabbit, they retook their positions and Bell continued his training.

Continuing down, his eyes took in her neck and shoulders, both of which maintained the same lovely complexion of her face and gently asking to be kissed just like her lips, though Bell resisted such ideas now. They also seemed to invite one to lay their head against them. To snuggle up and find comfort and safety by nestling into them. It was from these, and his previous observations, that Bell began to truly understand the allure of women. The tools at their disposal to pull someone in, and not through force, but willingly. This was why Achilles was worried. If this is what Aisha could do, what could someone like Freya?

Now understanding the situation, and with his conviction restored, Bell charged forward. Unfortunately for him, he somehow forgot what came next.

His eyes instantly fell on her breasts and everything stopped for him. Aisha had expected as much to happen, but she had a plan to push things forward. Though, unfortunately for Bell, her plan would not be considered, conventional.

Reaching behind her, Aisha unhooked the wrap she was wearing and let it drop, exposing herself to the young man.

"A-A-A-Aisha-san!" he cried. He quickly tried to cover his face, only to find his hands caught by Aisha herself.

"No Bell. Look at them," she commanded.

"I-I can't!"

"Yes you can. And I want you too."

Bell's eyes shot to hers, wide in shock.

"I've made it no secret that I desire you, Bell. And after you rescued Haruhime, I can say that it's turned into honest affection. I know I'm not the kind of girl you're probably after. But I'm not going to pretend I don't want what I do. And right now, the man I care for not only needs my help, but is looking at me with desire. I like that, and want it to continue. So, please Bell. Look at me."

Keeping his hands in hers, Aisha presented herself to him unreservedly. Bell, for his part, was stuck. On one hand was his natural, near limitless embarrassment. On the other, were Aisha's honest feelings and his want to respond to them. Not only that, but he also wanted to refute her. After what happened with Haruhime and Wyne, he no longer cared who he saved, only that they needed saving. This, in turn, opened up his mind in the romantic sense as well. He no longer viewed women like Aisha as untouchable. Something dirty or corrupted. Just different. And in a world with humans, elves, dwarves, prums, gods, magic, and monsters, different wasn't necessarily a bad thing. As such, his reply came naturally.

"I'd be honored if I was with someone like you."

Aisha's eyes widened in shock.

"What?"

He smiled gently at her.

"I'd be honored if I was with someone like you, Aisha-san. And I am honored that you feel the way you do about me. I'll admit that there is someone else that I care for, but please don't think for a moment that it's because I think you're unworthy. You're not and never will be."

Tears pricked at Aisha's eyes. This was the first time that anyone had ever said that to her. Oh many desired her. Complimented her beauty. Tried to claim her affections, but none had ever said, and said without a hint of dishonesty, that they not only didn't think less of her, but that they themselves would be honored to have her. It was almost surreal. As if she'd been granted her own little miracle.

She laughed.

"You sure know how to charm a girl, don't you Bell?"

Bell just smiled at her, his embarrassment forgotten.

"_There's those strong eyes again. The eyes of a real man. Can't say I don't miss the cute blushes though. Wonder if this will bring them back."_

Letting go of one of his hands, Aisha reached up, pulled his head down, and kissed his cheek.

A light blush did appear on Bell's cheeks, but nothing like earlier. Indeed, his smile only grew when she pulled back.

"_Hm. That's a nice look. He's definitely getting better with this. But let's see if he can handle this."_

"I think you deserve a reward, Bell," she said, her sly smile returning.

Just as he was about to ask what she meant, Bell felt his hand being pulled up and found it suddenly placed, firmly and unreservedly, on one of Aisha's breasts.

Now, it didn't matter how much progress Bell had made that day, or how well he had responded to Aisha's feelings, nothing was going to prevent the red hot blush of innocence erupting on the boys face.

"A-A-A-A-A-!" he couldn't even speak.

"Feel me, Bell," she told him gently. "Consider it a part of your training if you want. But feel me. Feel my skin. My warmth. The softness of my breast. Feel my heartbeat quicken when you squeeze it," she squeezed his hand for him. "I want you to feel me. To know my softness. Please Bell, won't you do that for me?"

She had him, and he knew it, and she probably knew it too. This was a request. An honest request from a lady. A lady who had shared her honest feelings with him and who was now aiding him in his, admittedly mortifying, training. He couldn't say no if he wanted to. And, if he was being completely honest, there was a part of him that didn't want to tell her no.

Taking a deep breath, he began to explore. Slowly, gently, he began to caress her skin as if he was afraid she would break under his touch, or perhaps that he would. Aisha allowed him to proceed as he wished, more than content to accept his unsure movements.

Slowly, Bell grew bolder. His hands moved just a bit more. His fingers squeezed her just a bit tighter and he found himself moving just a bit closer to her.

His ministrations began to have a real effect on Aisha who felt her breathing get deeper and her body react to his touches as small jolts of pleasure began to shoot through her veins.

Suddenly, and evidently to the surprise of them both, Bell's second hand suddenly rose up and cupped her other breast, causing her breath to hitch and him to stop.

"D-Did I do something wrong?" he asked.

"No. No at all. In fact, it felt really nice," she replied.

Bell looked at her for a moment, taking in the pleasured look on her face and the clear enjoyment she was taking from his actions. This was no act, and they both knew it. She was honestly enjoying herself, and he, perhaps out of masculine pride or maybe just because of his generous soul, decided he wanted to give her more.

His hands now working in tandem, he caressed her in earnest. His movements became more sporadic and his grip upon her became firmer as he squeezed her breasts possessively, as if he was claiming them, and her, as his own.

Aisha's breath was now laboured, her breaths hot and heavy as she surrendered under his wonderful assault.

"_Holy shit! I'm at the edge and all he's doing is touching me. By the gods, what would it be like if he actually went all the way?"_

That thought alone made her want more, and she decided to push her luck one more time to give Bell something he'd really remember.

"Bell," she said breathlessly. He did not react, so engrossed was he in his actions and his intent to pleasure her. "Bell," she said more firmly, placing her hand against his cheek. He stopped and looked at her. "Kiss them," she said. "Kiss them both."

This time there was no blush. This was a plea from a woman who desired him. There could be no hesitation. So, doing as requested, he leaned down and kissed her right breast above her nipple.

"Not there," she begged.

Bell knew what she wanted but something told him not to give it to her. To tease her instead. So, instead of going where she wanted, he kissed to the right of nipple.

"Not there!" she cried.

This time he kissed under.

"Please Bell, no more teasing!"

Finally, he gave her what she wanted and kissed her nipple, firmly and unreservedly.

"Yeeeessss," she sighed, the pleasure passing through her body like a drug, easing her addiction and calming her desire.

But, just as quickly as it came, it was gone.

"What?" she looked down and found Bell smiling at her.

"The other one needs some attention too. You wouldn't want it to be lonely, would you?"

The fire in her belly roared at that, and she nodded, allowing him to move over to the left breast where he gave it the same treatment as the right, teasing it before finally placing his mouth against it with a gentle kiss. However this time, he decided to give it a reward for its patience and opened his mouth to gently suck on it.

That was it. That was all Aisha could take and finally she tipped over the edge.

Wrapping her arms around Bell's head, she tensed as waves of pleasure coursed through her body causing a cry of ecstasy to pass from her lips, tears of passion to fall from her eyes, her toes to curl, and drool slipped from the sides of her mouth as her climax rocked her to her soul.

When it finally passed, she fell backwards onto the bed, taking a nearly suffocating Bell with her. Her body now relaxed, perhaps more so than it ever had been, she released his head, allowing him to breathe again.

"That. Was. Amazing," she said, her breath ragged and coming out in pants.

"Was it?" Bell asked.

"Uh-huh," she said, regaining enough strength to sit up. "No one's ever given me pleasure like that from just touching me. Hell, few have done anything close to that by going all the way. You really are something Bell."

Bell blushed lightly, the mindset from earlier having dissipated with Aisha's release.

"I-I'm glad that you...e-enjoyed yourself," he said quietly.

"Oh I more than enjoyed myself, Bell. If anything, you might very well have ruined me. Not only were you good, but if that's what you can do with your hands, I'd love to find out what you can do when you go all out."

Bell's blush deepened, but not so much as before. While his embarrassment was still present, he was beginning to understand that there was no real need to be embarrassed.

"But," Aisha continued. "I think that's enough for today. You've made great strides in such little time, though what would I expect of Orario's Rabbit Foot," she gathered her wrap and put it back on. "Just remember, there's no need to be so embarrassed around women. If you think we're beautiful that's not a bad thing. And taking pleasure from a woman, whether it's like this or just enjoying her company also isn't a bad thing."

"Right!" Bell said with a nod.

"And don't forget to talk to Achilles. Be honest with him about your feelings. I would be more than happy to continue teaching you, but I want you to want to come. Don't let him, or anyone else for that matter, force you to do something you really don't want. Okay?"

He nodded again, giving her one of his heart-stopping smiles.

"Good. Now, come on, I'm sure the other girls are pissed, especially after hearing me scream like that, but they'll have to suck it up."

Bell, realizing that everyone had heard them almost fainted right then and there.

The two made their way down to the entrance, the girls bombarding both of them with questions and curses, the curses going entirely to Aisha for shutting them out, but both remained silent. Aisha, because she liked knowing she was the only woman who'd seen Bell like that, and Bell because he was far too embarrassed to say anything.

"Done already?" Achilles asked as they returned.

"I figured a preliminary lesson was the best way to start. Learn to float before you swim and all that," Aisha replied.

"I see," Achilles said. He reached into his pocket to pull out payment, but Aisha held up her hand.

"This one's on the house."

Achilles and the other women gave her a surprised look.

"Really? That's generous of you."

"Well, Bell was so wonderful that I couldn't accept payment," she said, snuggling up against the young man who, while embarrassed, clearly enjoyed the affection.

"I see," Achilles said. Naturally he'd heard the cry from earlier, and not necessarily because of his empowered hearing. If that cry had been any indication, they went a lot further than mere attempts at seduction. That would have earned his ire, but Bell seemed alright. If anything he seemed pleased and was taking Aisha's affections far better than Achilles would have expected him to. As such, he was willing to let it go.

"Well, thank you," he continued. "I'm glad everything worked out."

"Quite," she replied. "But now, we have to get ready for tonight and I'm sure you two men have some things we need to do."

"Indeed. Come on, Bell. Let's go home."

Bell parted with Aisha, who quickly gave him a peck on the cheek and whispered.

"Remember what I said."

Bell nodded and followed after Achilles who was now wondering what it was that she had told his young protege.

The two made their way their way out of the red light district, Achilles being smart enough to take a path that wouldn't get them noticed, before stopping Bell.

"Here," he said taking a vial out of his pocket. "Dose yourself with it. It'll negate the smell that seeped into your clothes and hair."

Bell, remembering what happened last time he returned from the red light district, eagerly did as requested and began to scrub himself with the concoction. Achilles did likewise with his own vial as he didn't suspect Hestia would find it agreeable that he had gone to the red light district himself, even if she didn't know Bell had as well.

Taking a sniff of himself, Bell, to his joyful surprise, couldn't smell anything on himself, not even sweat.

"Where did you get this, Achilles-san?"

"There's a place in one of Orario's back alleys that gods frequent so they don't get in trouble with their familia for spending time at a brothel. Zeus took me there when I went through my training."

Bell nodded. He then remembered what Aisha had told him and he decided that now was as good as ever.

"Um, Achilles-san, there's something I want to talk to you about."

"Is it what Aisha was reminding you of?"

Bell looked at him surprised.

"I have good hearing remember," Achilles said, tapping his ear. "So, what do you want to talk about?"

Bell fidgeted for a moment, but took a breath and steadied himself.

"Firstly, I just want to say that I really do appreciate all your doing for me and my familia. I know that looking out for a kid like me probably isn't how you want to spend time, but I am grateful. Likewise I truly appreciate that you're not only going to train me, but have also helped bring to light certain things that I was unaware of," he took a breath. "That said, I am the captain of my familia and a level four. I have spent the last few months working on becoming stronger and have survived without your help. Things haven't always gone the way I wanted them to, but I must ask that you treat me with the respect of my rank and not make decisions for me and even against my will!" he finished.

Achilles was taken aback. Out of all the things he expected from Bell, that was not one of them.

"_Though I suppose I should have. He's right. I'm dragging him along like he's some underling of my familia, not the captain of his own who's done and is capable of my many things on his own."_

Achilles smiled.

"You're right," he said. "You're absolutely right. I haven't been treating you with the degree of respect you deserve. You have my sincerest apologies," he said, bowing.

"No, it's alright! I should have made myself understood," Bell exclaimed, embarrassed to have the former captain of Zeus familia bowing to him.

"And I should have noticed. Nay, I shouldn't have been so presumptuous in the first place."

"It's alright. Really. I honestly am honored that you've taken an interest and me, and are willing to help me so much, it's just...I want to decide things for myself."

Achilles nodded.

"As you should. Well, while we're at it, anything else you'd like to ask me?"

Bell thought for a moment and an idea came to his mind. The moment he did he began to fidget again. It was something he was curious about, but he also recognized that it was very private and probably not something Achilles was keen to talk about.

"It's alright, Bell. If it's something I don't want to talk about, I'll be upfront about it."

After a few more seconds, Bell finally asked.

"Why do you hate Freya-sama so much?"

Achilles demeanor instantly changed into something much colder, the sight of which frightened Bell. Seeing that, and not wanting the young man to be scared, he took a deep breath and sighed.

"Let's find a quiet place to talk."

The two made their way through the city, occasionally getting recognized by those they passed, but most recognized that the older man was not in a particularly good mood and so avoided him. Finally they found a quiet area that looked like it used to be a park, but was now overgrown.

The two found a spot and sat down, remaining silent for a moment as Achilles steadied himself for the explanation.

"Bell, have you noticed that, when I talk about our two situations with regards to Freya, I say they're similar, not the same?"

"I hadn't. I suppose I just figured that was natural."

"That's fair enough. But you see, there is an important difference between you and I when it comes to Freya. She wants to claim you. She's already claimed me."

Bell's eyes widened for a moment, before his brow scrunched in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

Achilles paused again, his knuckles turning white as anger and disgust ripped through his body, but nonetheless, he continued.

"It was all the way back before I was captain of Zeus familia. You need to understand, Bell, Freya in extraordinarily beautiful, and I don't just mean physically. She's clever. Determined. She has knowledge about things you can't even imagine. Talking to her is one of the greatest pleasures you can ever have. It's like she's talking directly to your soul. No, it's more like she's singing. Singing to your very being. But above all else, she's mysterious. Her eyes pull you in by presenting you a question you can never put into words, but that you know, deep down in your heart and soul that, if you can find the answer, you'll be apart of something more beautiful and wonderful than you could ever have imagined on your own. It's for all those reasons I fell in love with Freya"

Bell was honestly surprised. He had seen nothing but scorn and hatred from Achilles at the mention of the goddess, yet here he was declaring his love for her.

"Then what happened?"

"You understand Bell, that we mortals and the gods play by different rules, yes?" Bell nodded. "They're immortal and have been around for eons while we, or I suppose I should say, I, have been reincarnated countless times as different people. Freya's had countless lovers before me and will have countless after I'm gone. I knew that. I understood that. Yet, perhaps because I was a bit possessive, I wanted her, just for my lifetime, to myself. So I went to her. I asked her what it would take to earn that. To earn being her one and only so long as I was alive. And she, being Freya told me...shit I can still remember the words exactly. She said, 'Hm. You need to be...more.'"

Achilles laughed.

"As you can imagine that's pretty fucking vague. But I took it to heart. I fought to become stronger. To become faster. Smarter. More. I leveled up again and again. I went on quests others wouldn't dream of. I became captain of my familia. Each time I would go to her and she would just smile and say, 'More'. Finally, came the Great Quests. We beat the Behemoth. Then the Leviathan. I was so excited, I ran to Freya and asked her, when I killed the Dragon, could we be together? Would that be enough?"

Achilles bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.

"She smiled and said, 'That will do.'"

The area fell silent as pain radiated off of Achilles, choking Bell in misery, but he held firm. Not so he could hear the rest of the story, but so he could be there for his fellow captain.

"Well you know how that ended," he said, his fist now so tight that blood seeped between his fingers and his knuckles had burst open causing blood to drip down his hand. "With that disaster, my familia and Hera's were in trouble. We were at risk of banishment. With us weakened, the two most powerful familia were Freya and Loki. Naturally, I ran to Freya. I threw myself at her feet and begged her to save my familia. For, please understand Bell, the one thing I loved more than Freya, was my familia. They were my family, and I wanted to save what was left of it. So I begged. I pleaded. I promised her that, if she protected Zeus and Hera familia until they got back on her feet, that I was hers. No requests and unreservedly. I would be her most loyal adventurer and do everything she asked without question. I'd be hers completely. And…" tears leaked down his face. "You know what she said? She said," Achilles voice changed at this, perfectly mimicking Freya's. "'Why would I do that when I can get rid of them and have you anyway?'"

Achilles looked ready to throw up. He looked like those who want to die look. Like those who hate themselves and want nothing more than to tear themselves apart. Bell wanted to help him, but Achilles wanted to finish.

"It was at that moment that I understood. All the warnings I'd been given. Zeus. Hera. Hephaestus. Everyone had warned me. I wasn't a lover to her. I wasn't even a person. I was a thing. A possession. A toy. Something for her to play with. Years of my life spent to please someone who didn't even thinking of me, as me. As someone. As an entity with wants and desires, hopes and dreams. I was just a thing!" he threw up on the ground. "And do know what's worse than that? One: I'm still in love with her. Probably always will be. And two," the tears were now running down his face without restraint. "I can't stop thinking that, if I hadn't been so obsessed with her that I might still have had my familia."

That was the final straw.

Bell reacted instantly, pulling the older captain into his arms and hugging him tightly.

"That's not true!" he screamed, not even thinking if anyone heard him. "There is no way that's true. You would never do that. You said so yourself, the only thing you loved more than Freya was your familia. Your family. It was not your fault!"

"But I should have-."

"No! You did all you could. By my reckoning, it was because of Freya that you could do so much. Just like me, you were chasing after someone. You wanted so badly to stand by her side that you pushed yourself harder and harder. That does not put you at fault for what happened. If anything, if you hadn't been the captain, I have no doubt that Zeus familia wouldn't have gone as far as it did. You led them to victory against the Behemoth and the Leviathan, saving countless lives, and you are the only person to survive the One-Eyed Black Dragon."

"That was dumb luck."

"I don't believe that. If it was just a matter of luck, more people would be able to say the same. You did not fail your familia. That's the truth, and I want you to say it."

"Bell...I can't."

"No! I want to hear you say it. Loud and clear. I want all your familia in Heaven to hear."

The conviction was startling. Achilles found himself truly struck dumb by the sight of the young man. His eyes unwavering. His face firm, and his strength unyielding. This was not a request. He would not let Achilles go until he said, no, exclaimed to the whole world, the truth.

The tears returned, but they were no longer cold and bitter, but warm and sweet as the power of Bell's soul filled him.

"I'm not to blame," he said quietly.

"Louder!"

"I'm not to blame."

"Louder!"

"I'm not to blame!"

"Louder! They need to hear you in Heaven!"

"I'M NOT TO BLAME!" he cried before throwing himself into Bell's arms, his strength spent.

"Good," Bell said, content.

They stayed like that for some time, Achilles releasing his pain and Bell comforting him until he finally managed to regain control of himself.

"Gods, I've never been so embarrassed," Achilles said, wiping away his tears, an unmistakable blush on his cheeks. "A grown man in his fifties getting comforted by a boy who isn't yet fifteen. How I've fallen."

Bell smiled at him.

"Do you feel better?"

Achilles looked at him and returned the smile.

"I do. And, as embarrassed as I am, I truly can't thank you enough, Bell, for what you did," he bowed. "Truly. Thank you."

A hand on his shoulder caused him to look up.

"We captains have got to stick together."

The two shared a small laugh.

"Where do they make kids like you?" Achilles asked.

"Probably in the same place they make people like you," Bell countered.

"No. No, you're far more special than I am Bell, that's a fact. In all honesty I'm a bit jealous of your parents, having such a great son."

"Well, I can't really remember them. I have a vague image of my mother in my mind, but I don't remember anything about my father."

"What do you remember of your mother?"

"Only that she used to stroke my hair while my head was in her lap and," he blushed. "That Aiz looks like her."

"Really?" Bell nodded. "Hm. Well, there is that old saying, men marry women like their mothers, and women marry men like their fathers, so I guess that makes sense. Still, I wish I had a son like you."

"You do?"

Achilles turned to him.

"Of course. You're an amazing kid, Bell. If anything I'd feel like I wasn't worthy enough to be your father."

Bell didn't know what to say. He'd gone his whole life without a father, the closest thing he had being his grandfather, and here he was now, in a way, being offered one from someone he looked up to. It was a bit much to take in.

"I-I'd be honored if I had a father like you."

Achilles paused. Looking at Bell, he saw that, behind his embarrassment, was complete honesty, the sight of which caused a warmth to bloom in his heart.

"_Well I'll be."_

A smile burst on his face.

"Come on kiddo, let's go home."

Bell smiled.

"Right!"

Up in the Tower of Babel, a certain goddess watched two mortals in the city below, her body wracked with immeasurable pleasure and a face covered in euphoria.

"Oh~. You two are almost too much to bear," she reached out to them, caressing their image. "I've never had a father-son pair before. I can hardly wait."

* * *

And fin. Alright, well, that was interesting. Haven't done one of those in a while. I hope you guys enjoyed it. I know Bell might have seemed a bit out of character here, but I did the best I could while still making it enjoyable, so I hope you'll forgive me that. Overall, I hope this chapter didn't seem like too much. Like I was just shoving in stuff and not making sense. If so, I can only say I do the best I can. That is also true with regards to the point the reviewers brought up earlier as I did the best I could to address those points. With that said, if you did enjoy it, please alert and favorite. Also, feel free to review. Tell me what you liked, disliked, what needs to be improved, and so on. Next chapter we get back to the real action, so I hope you're all excited. That said, I end things here so, until next time, bye for now.


	6. Chapter 6

Hello dear readers. I'm terribly sorry this one has taken so long to get out, I was a bit busy with a few things, so I hope you'll forgive me. That said, I am so happy that the feedback has been so positive and thank you dearly for the support. Now, let's get on with the story shall we?

I do not own Danmachi

* * *

Achilles and Bell made their way back to Hearth Manor with smiles on their faces. Both were still slightly embarrassed by what had transpired during Achilles's revealing of his past, yet their embarrassment could not overshadow their joy at the revelation that came at the end. Both had been showing a degree of affection for the other, Achilles ruffling Bell's hair and Bell eagerly asking questions about Achilles past and adventures. Had anyone passed by them, they may very well have assumed that the two were father and son, which, though both would have surely corrected the mistake, would have pleased them immensely as they recognized that their relationship was fast progressing into one far beyond meer friendly familia captains.

The two arrived at the manor with smiles still on their faces when Achilles stopped.

"Well, today's been quite interesting," he said.

"It sure has," Bell readily agreed.

"That said, I do want to thank you again, Bell. Not only for being honest with me and setting me straight, but for the kindness you showed me after I revealed my past with Freya. Few people would be so generous."

"I was just being honest, Achilles-san," Bell assured him.

"Achilles will do just fine now, Bell." The young man's smile grew. "That said, I've been thinking. Earlier you had the rest of your familia promise to be completely honest from this day forth. I would like to add myself to that promise, if I may, seeing as I am now watching over your familia. So, from now on, I will be completely honest with all of you. No secrets. That seems only right."

"Are you sure? You have every right to privacy, and you're not a member of Hestia familia."

"I'm sure. I want us all to trust each other; completely and unreservedly. Not only so we can deal with what's to come, but so that this familia prospers as it should. I may not be apart of your familia Bell, but you all are very quickly worming your way into my heart, if I may be a sap for a moment." Bell smiled. "As such, I want us all to trust each other and have each others' backs. It is also important given that, unlike you, I am not immune to Freya's Charm. When I met her today, she nearly cracked me." Bell's smile was replaced with a look of alarm. "So I need you all to watch over me. Make sure I'm not being pulled one way or the other. And not just because of Freya or my feelings towards her, but with regards to Loki and her familia. I will not deny I hold a grudge against them for what happened fifteen years ago and I need you and the others to make sure I'm not overlooking logic out of anger. That make sense?"

Bell, saddened by the idea of his guardian's disdain for his love's familia, nonetheless nodded.

"Alright. So I'm going to trust you and your familia with that task. In order to do that though, I must be honest with them," Achilles finished.

Bell nodded again.

"Understood. I swear we won't betray your trust, Achilles-sa-. Achilles," Bell said.

The former captain smiled.

"I know you won't."

The two entered the manor, the sound of their arrival quickly gaining attention of the nearby Haruhime.

"Ah! Bell-sama. Achilles-sama. Welcome back. Everyone's waiting for your return in the dining room. Dinner's about ready."

"Thank you, Haruhime," Bell said, giving her a smile.

Haruhime blushed before giving him a bow and walking off, something which was not missed by Achilles.

"_Quite the charmer isn't he?"_ he thought looking at Bell.

"Shall we join the others?" Bell asked, snapping Achilles's attention back to the present.

"Let's."

The two walked into the dining room, garnering the attention of the rest of the familia.

"Bell-kun! Achilles-san. Welcome back," Hestia said happily.

"I'm home, Hestia," Bell said with a smile.

"Evening, Hestia-sama. How did things go with the other familia?" Achilles inquired.

"They were definitely worried, not that I can blame them, but they pledged their support, just like I knew they would."

"That's good to hear."

"How was training?" she asked.

"I'd say it went well. Bell's progress continues to astound me."

Hestia's smile grew.

"That's just my dear, Bell-kun," she said, hugging Bell tightly.

Achilles couldn't help but notice that Bell simply smiled and took in her affection, showing no signs of embarrassment. Not even the slightest tinge of red on his cheeks.

"Stop suffocating him, Hestia-sama," Lili demanded.

"I am not suffocating him!" Hestia cried, turning to glare at the prum.

"Hey, no fighting you two," Bell said.

"But Bell! She started it!" Hestia cried.

"I did not! Bell-sama, you know I didn't, right?"

As Bell tried to calm the situation, Achilles watched on with a smile.

"_I've missed this."_

"Dinner's ready," Haruhime said, her voice barely making it over all the noise.

"There. It's time for dinner. You wouldn't want to be rude and keep everyone waiting, would you?" Bell asked, putting his foot down.

The two ladies looked eager to continue their spat, but both knew they couldn't without being rude and so conceded to a request which, to their immediate joy, earned them a smile from Bell.

"Alright, let's eat! I'm starving!" Hestia said.

With that, the familia all proceeded to their spots around the table.

"Where shall I sit?" Achilles asked.

"Right here," Bell quickly answered, pointing to the spot next to his.

Achilles smiled and quickly took his seat, ruffling Bell's hair as he sat down.

This did not go unnoticed by the rest Hestia familia, even the lovely ladies who had hoped to take up a spot next to their dear rabbit, and they all quickly gave each other looks as one thought passed through each of their heads.

"_What happened between them?"_

"Well don't just stand there everyone, the food will get cold," Achilles called.

Snapping back into reality, they each took their spots around the table, Hestia using her divine right to claim the final spot next to Bell, Lili being forced a seat down. Haruhime, who too wanted to sit next to Bell, did not have time to mourn the lost spot, as Achilles quickly offered her the spot next to him. Surprised, she graciously accepted, not knowing that Achilles had chosen her specifically after recognizing her affections for Bell and deciding to enact his fatherly duty and vet the girl.

With everyone seated, they all clapped their hands.

"Let's eat."

The dinner was lovely. A mixture of classic Western and Eastern style food brought a variety of flavors together that delighted everyone present and ensured that everyone stuffed their faces until they could stuff no more. Afterwards they cleaned up, Achilles taking up his own fair share, in spite of cries from his hosts that he was their guest. With the cleaning all done, it was time for Achilles to speak again.

"Would everyone mind gathering around please, there is something I need to tell you all."

Apprehension instantly filled everyone, but Bell.

"You're not going to tell us more bad news are you?" Lili asked.

"I can't honestly say what I'm about to say is going to make you feel better. However," Achilles quickly added. "This will hopefully prevent something bad from happening in the future and ensures we're all on the same page."

The familia shared a look, before nodding and finding a place around the ex-captain.

"Today," he began. "Bell asked me why I hated Freya," everyone's eyes shifted to Bell who simply stood off to the side, waiting for Achilles to continue. "And so I told him the truth. The whole truth of my and Freya's past, which I will share with you now," Achilles took a breath. "To begin with, you need to understand; I do hate Freya...but I'm also in love with her."

X

The room was silent. Achilles had finished revealing his past to them. He looked nauseous for the majority of the retelling, but, with Bell's aid, was able to get through without breaking down again.

Truth be told he didn't know how they'd react. Bell's reaction had been appreciated beyond words, but Achilles knew that not everyone would have the same reaction. Indeed, he would not have been surprised if they demanded he leave their home immediately given the threat he posed due to his susceptibility to Freya's Charm.

"_They can't even be sure that I'm not spying on them at this very moment,"_ Achilles thought resignedly.

"So...you're still in love with Freya?" Welf asked as gently as he could.

Achilles nodded.

"As much as I wish I wasn't, yes. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me to love and hate the same person more than I can put into words, but that is the case."

"And, unlike Bell-sama, you're at risk of being Charmed," Lili questioned, her tone low with just a hint of accusation.

Again, he nodded.

"Yes. I can resist to a degree, more now perhaps than before. She did try to Charm me when I met with her, but failed. And yes, I'm sure she was trying," he added quickly. "I know the degrees of her Charm. She was hitting me with everything she had. That said, I don't like the idea of having to face her again," he finished.

Looks of anxiety passed through the familia, including Bell, though not for the same reason as the rest of them. He saw their concern and could feel things turning against Achilles. He didn't want that to happen as, not only did he trust Achilles, but the recent revelation they shared made him want all the more for the older captain to remain. He was preparing to jump in to defend his new mentor, when Hestia suddenly rose.

Everyone turned their attention to the goddess and watched as she approached Achilles.

Achilles watched her with apprehension. He was now fully expecting her to order him to leave.

"_It makes sense. She needs to protect them all as best as she can and I'm too great of a risk to ignore."_

Hestia stopped in front of him, and he waited for the order. But it never came. Instead, her arms suddenly came around and pulled his head into her breasts.

"Poor child," she said gently, her hand softly stroking his head.

He blinked.

"What?"

"Achilles," she pulled back to look him in the eye. "I knew you were in love with Freya the second you first said her name." His eyes widened. "Of course I knew. I've known her for eons. I recognize when she's got a hold of someone. It's part of the reason I don't like her. Everyone who's ever fallen in love with her has this same, lost look in their eyes. Like they know they've forgotten something, but can't remember what it is, no matter how hard they try."

"That...seems like a pretty accurate description," he admitted.

She smiled at him.

"And what she did to you," she shook her head. "If you love someone, you don't force them to prove their worthiness. You be there for them. You show them how much you care. Sure you encourage them, but that's not the same as demanding some sort of tribute before you give them your love," she stroked his cheek. "I'm sorry you had to go through all that, Achilles-kun, and, though I'm sure Bell-kun already said it, it wasn't your fault. You fought as hard as you could, of that I'm sure."

The gentleness and compassion in her words brought tears to his eyes, which caused him to instantly begin cursing and wiping his eyes.

"No. No. I said I was done crying for today, and I meant it."

Hestia continued to smile at him.

"You should be proud of yourself, Achilles-kun. I'm sure Zeus, Hera, and all your familia would be if they were here, and I'll add that, besides everyone else here," she said, gesturing towards her familia. "There's no one else I would rather have looking after my Bell-kun."

"Even if I risk being Charmed?"

"You say that like everyone else suddenly developed Bell's immunity," she replied light-heartedly. "We're all at risk from something, Achilles-kun. Besides, I'd know if you were Charmed. I told you, I've known Freya a long time. If she had Charmed you, I would know."

That eased some of the tension in the room and brought a small smile to Achilles's face.

"Thank you, Hestia-sama."

"No need to thank me, especially not since you'll be looking after my Bell-kun," she said, deciding at that moment to throw herself back at Bell who, after getting over his surprise, laughed and returned the affection. "Hehe, and it seems you're having a positive affect on him too. Bell was never so forward before you came."

"No fair, Hestia-sama!" Lili cried, quickly getting up and taking her own spot next to Bell, quickly receiving her own helping of affection.

All the fear and concern evaporated. Thoughts of Freya, her familia, the Dragon, or anything else outside the walls of Hearth Manor disappeared from everyone's mind as the scene played out before them.

Achilles couldn't help but laugh. All his worry and fear of a new exile was gone. Blown away like dust on the wind.

"_This familia really is something,"_ he thought.

Suddenly, a thought came to mind, and his eyes shifted until they landed on an increasingly familiar wave of gold.

Haruhime watched the scene with Bell, Hestia, and Lili fold with anxiousness. She wanted, dearly, to join in and get her own helping of affection from her dear captain, but she couldn't muster up the courage to do it. However, feeling a pair of eyes on her, she turned and saw a smiling Achilles looking at her.

"_Go on. Go get him,"_ his eyes instructed, giving her a wink, before jerking his head towards the group.

"_Well, if he's ordering me to,"_ she reasoned, her eyes turning towards a mess of white hair that had featured so prominently in her dreams.

Bell was happily returning the affection of the two ladies holding on to him, not minding their argument in the least, when he felt a presence approaching. Turning his head, he found Haruhime standing next to him, her face red, and eyes down, but her tail wagging frantically.

"B-Bell-sama, m-may I a-also-?"

It took but a moment before Bell to figure out what she wanted, and when he did, his smile softened as his hand reached out and began to softly pet her hair and ears.

Haruhime could hardly believe it. She was being petted by Bell. His hands were on her head, gently combing her hair and softly playing with her ears. Euphoria burst from her heart as she revelled in his touches, taking in as much as she could. This lasted for a few moments with the other two ladies apparently oblivious to what was happening, until Bell's hand, whether by his Luck skill or perhaps his natural ability, found a spot that felt just a little too good.

The moan that passed through the room froze everything.

Hestia and Lili instantly turned to the origin of the noise, finding Bell's hand still in place on Haruhime's ear, the renart now playing the part of stature, which she would have sold very well, if not for the bright blush that was growing on her face.

"Ha-ru-hi-me," Hestia growled.

And so the Hestia familia, plus one, descended into a flurry of accusations, apologies, and laughter, with Achilles easily laughing the hardest of them all.

X

"Alright, so I'll see you all in about an hour, once I've talked with Loki," Achilles said.

"Right!" Bell responded, he and the rest of his familia smiling at the prospect of the new day.

"Keep close to the Guild until I arrive, and do not enter the Dungeon. I doubt Freya will make a move so soon after my arrival, but we can't be sure of that, so we'll play it safe."

"Right."

"Okay. Then I'll see you guys soon," Achilles finished, ruffling Bell's hair and bidding the rest of them goodbye.

Now, as he walked through the streets of Orario, he couldn't help but smile. True, he had his concerns. Freya was a clear and present danger, and the prospect of speaking to Loki again, and so soon after their last meeting, pleased him as much as stubbing his pinky toe in the morning, but things still felt right, for the first time in years. He was back in the city that he considered his home, with people that were rapidly burrowing into his heart, none more so than the boy he hoped to soon earn the right to call his own. He was hopeful, which was something he hadn't truly felt in fifteen years.

His eyes turned to the Tower of Babel.

"Come if you wish, I will not fail again."

The familiar tingle of eyes watching him was quickly brushed aside in favor of quickening his pace.

Arriving, once more, at the Loki familia mansion, he found the same guards from yesterday standing at the gates.

"Morning, gentlemen."

Both looked ready to have a heart attack, but he waved off their concern.

"I'll be a good boy today. Tell Finn I want to talk with Loki about something important regarding a certain, silver-haired goddess."

Neither knew what this meant, but neither particularly cared as the previously rude guard ran off to tell Finn.

The two waited for his return, the guard looking like he wished to be literally anywhere but where he currently was, with Achilles just smiling good-naturedly knowing there was little he could do to ease the tension beyond keeping his word and being on his best behavior.

Luckily it did not take long for the guard to return with Loki's big three, allowing the guard next to Achilles to take a breath of relief.

"Achilles," Finn said, his hand fidgeting on his spear.

"Morning Finn. Riveria. Gareth," he greeted, making sure to keep his hand away from his sword. "May I come in?"

The Loki captain eyed him wearily, trying to take his measure, but after a moment nodded, and gestured for him to follow, which he did.

They made their way through the mansion, passing by many of its occupants who did one of two things upon seeing Achilles. Make a hasty retreat or glare at him with an intensity that could start fires. One of these glares came from Bete who, seeing the ex-captain, looked ready to make some sort of move against him, only for Finn to glare at him, ordering him away from such an action. The wolfman growled, but backed away, allowing them to continue. Finally, just as they were about to reach Loki's office, Aiz appeared, looking anxious and eager. When her eyes found Achilles, she took a step forward, only for Riviera to gesture for her to stop and the Amazon sisters to grab her arms and shake their heads. A look of massive disappointment covered her features as she looked between the three members of her familia, before turning back to Achilles. By then, he had acknowledged her, but did nothing more than give a slight bow of his head before passing by her.

Finn knocked, and Loki screamed out.

"What the fuck does he want now?!"

Finn sighed and opened the door, allowing the four of them to enter. Before he did though, he turned to those who gathered.

"Everyone back to your duties," he ordered, his eyes falling to Aiz who, after some coaxing from the Amazon duo, departed.

"Good morning to you too, Loki," Achilles greeted.

"This is the second time in two days you've barged in here! Do you know how much work you're causing me?! Not only do things get behind, but I have to deal with the mess you make!"

"I'm surprised you don't just force in on Riveria and Finn," Achilles countered, earning him a growl from Loki. "And I barged in yesterday. Today, I waited patiently."

"What...do you want?" Loki snarled, her rage so pronounced she opened her eyes.

Achilles looked her straight in her eyes.

"Freya's after Bell."

Surprise passed through the three senior leaders, but Loki just continued to look at Achilles.

"I know."

Achilles quirked an eyebrow.

"You do?" he inquired.

"Yeah, I figured it out. Wasn't so hard to. She laid the breadcrumbs herself a few months ago. She's not as subtle as she thinks. I suspect she even destroyed Ishtar for 'im."

This was evidently news for her familia who turned their surprise to her. Achilles, however, was not so surprised.

"Hm. You were always a clever one," he said. "You're right. She did. She didn't like Ishtar trying to claim what she considered 'hers'."

"She told ya?"

"She did. Yesterday, after Ottar and his brats picked me up."

"She tell you anything else?"

Achilles instantly knew what she meant.

"Yes, she's still after me."

The room fell silent for a moment before Loki closed her eyes and sat back in her chair.

"So, whatcha want me to do about it?"

"Freya has the strongest familia in Orario, don't get pissy with me saying that," he quickly added, seeing Loki's frown deepen. "Yours is the closest to hers in power. That makes you rivals. I'm offering a very standard, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, alliance. You help us deal with Freya, you get to ascend to the unquestionable rank of the strongest familia in Orario. Nice, simple, and beneficial to both sides."

Loki was quiet for a moment as thoughts bounced around in her mind.

"And why shouldn't I just ally with Freya? She gets you and the kid, and I get her good will and the sight you being her plaything."

Crackling and terrible blue light began to fill them room as Achilles's hand fell to his sword.

"Don't be a fucking idiot," he ordered, lightning now dancing around his body.

Loki's eyes reopened as she met his glare, both being unaware of the trio of adventurers prepared to act to prevent a further escalation in hostility.

"If Freya gets her hand on not only Bell, but myself, you will be in a shit situation. She'll have not only two level sevens, the only two that exist, but, as I already told you, Bell's growth will likely ensure that he's stronger than either myself or Ottar within a year. So, tell me, sister of Thor," that earned him a full-eyed, hateful glare. "How does facing two level sevens, and a possible level eight sound?"

The room fell silent, Achilles's lightning retreating back within its creator as the two powerful entities glared at each other with the utmost scorn. But Achilles wasn't done. He still had a trump card.

"But if that's not enough for you, how about this? Freya will likely try to kill Aiz in the near future."

That set off alarm bells for all present, Loki included.

"Why are you so certain of that?" the goddess asked.

"I'm certain for the same reason you knew that she destroyed Ishtar familia. Freya doesn't like others claiming what's 'hers', and right now, your Sword Princess is the current claimant for the heart of Bell Cranel."

There was little surprise at this, at least amongst the senior adventurers. They had all figured out the young rabbit of Hestia familia was smitten for Aiz's, Riviera being the first. Loki was actually the only one in the dark on this matter, though now that she had been presented the information, it all made sense.

"Now, the only reason I'm telling you this, which I have no right to do, is so you fully understand your situation. Your greatest rival, seeks to make her position insurmountable, in Orario. To do this, she will likely attack Aiz. To remove her as an obstacle for claiming Bell. Now, I hate your guts even more than you hate mine, but not only do I hate Freya more, but I have something to protect now, so I'll swallow my utmost disdain for you, for now, and work with you to prevent something worse from happening? Sound good to you, Clown?"

Loki did not want to give in. She really didn't want to. She'd never liked Achilles. All the way back when Zeus and Hera were still around, she'd disliked him. The way he would act so honorable and heroic in public, but like a puppy dog when with Freya had disgusted her. Her distaste had only grown with his continuous besting of her familia in skill, power, prestige, and achievements. Add in his propensity to mock her as a sort of, 'test of humility' as he liked to say, and she could say she well and truly hated him. The joy she felt when he left Orario was not something she could put into words. Still, she knew she needed to agree. The alternative was not something she wanted to see. Still, she wanted to ask one more question before she capitulated.

"And what happens after we deal with Freya?"

A cruel smile grew on Achilles's lips.

"After we deal with Freya, I'll do my damndest to return the favor you gave me and my familia fifteen years ago."

"Achilles!" Finn cried. "I know you're angry with us for what happened, but you know the rules of Orario as well as any of us. Besides we had to stabil-."

"Don't you fucking dare finish that sentence!" Achilles screamed, his power pulsing and shattering the windows. "Don't you dare make that excuse! You did not do it to 'stabilize Orario', you did it for power. You know how I know that? Pure, simple logic. If you wanted to keep Orario stable in a crisis, the last thing...the...last thing you would do, would be to banish what remained of the two leading familias from the city, if only for the numbers. And there's the real problem Finn, you little shit," he marched over to the captain, his eyes boring into him. "If you just gone with the first excuse, the 'rules of Orario' bit, I could have eaten that. I would have been pissed, sure, probably for years, but I could have eventually accepted that. You were doing what was best for your familia. That's fine. That makes sense. But no. You had to try and justify yourself. To excuse your ambition and power grab. So you made up some bullshit. 'Orario is in chaos!' you said. 'It needs new leadership!' you cried. 'You can't protect us anymore!' you swore," Achilles spat at Finn's feet. "You lied through your teeth to justify what you did. And that's why I hate you, Finn. Why I hate all of you," Achilles said, turning to the other three. "I considered you a friend. Besides Ottar, you were the closest friend I had outside my familia," he said, pointing at Finn. "And you," he turned to Riviera. "Were like a sister to me. Those days we simply sat down, talking about this and that in peace and quiet meant so much to me. And Gareth!" he turned again. "I sometimes thought of you as that stern, but good-natured uncle that every boy wishes he has. Hell, I even respected you, Loki!" he finally turned to the goddess. "Your mind always impressed me. So clever and intelligent, it boggled my mind on countless occasions. Sure we had our spats, but never did I think truly poorly of you. But you all betrayed that. Not by taking my familia's place, but by lying to my face. By pretending to be something you weren't. Putting on a mask, then shattering it before my eyes. You are fiends, and I cannot wait for the day when the rest of Orario gets to see that truth. To know what you really are. There are few dreams I enjoy quite so much as that. So, for now, we are allies. For now, we tolerate each other. But, the minute this is over, you best be prepared for the fight that's going to happen!"

Those were his last words to them as he stormed out, leaving behind Loki and the leaders of her familia.

They were silent for the longest time, none of them knowing what to do or say until Gareth sighed.

"Quite the situation we've got here."

"You can say that again," Finn replied, rubbing his forehead.

Riviera said nothing in reply, focusing instead on Loki.

"What do you plan to do?" she asked.

Loki did not reply immediately, her mind racing with all the information presented to her. Finally, with a plan formed, she answered.

"We'll go through with this alliance. I'll talk with Chibi and iron things out. I will not allow Freya to dominate this city, and I certainly will not allow her to touch Aiz."

The three nodded.

"So what should we do?" Finn asked.

Loki's eyes opened and turned to him.

"Achilles is the linchpin to all this. He's part of what Freya wants. He'll likely be training the Chibi's brat to make sure he gets as strong as the Olympian claims. He's also the guarding Chibi's familia. Everything revolves around him. Remove him, and things are more malleable."

Concerned looks appeared on the adventurer's faces.

"Loki...what are you asking of us?" Finn asked.

"Simple. Kill Achilles."

Their eyes widened.

"What?!" the Loki captain cried.

"Think about it," Loki said. "Achilles is a catalyst. Freya wants him and this, Bell, kid. That'll likely make her move faster in order to claim them. Plus, if she gets her hands on him, which she will, that's one hell of an enemy we have to face now. He's also guarding Chibi's familia. If he's removed, they'll be practically defenseless, which then allows us to move in an' offer protection. If Achilles is gone, we take out a major threat, and we get an alliance with a familia with a kid who may or may not get to level eight. Everything works out our way."

"Except the part where you are asking us to kill one of the strongest adventurers to ever walk the earth, and do so in a manner that not only does the Hestia familia not find out, which would destroy any chance of an alliance, but also in a manner where Freya's familia doesn't find out, prompting them to go to war with us in revenge. We saw what they did to Ishtar for kidnapping Bell Cranel, what do you think Freya will do if she knows we killed one of her beloved ones?"

"She might thank us. With him dead, she can go claim 'im in Heaven."

"Are you listening to yourself?!" Finn demanded.

Loki frowned.

"You are asking us to take on one of the most difficult tasks that has ever been assigned an adventurer. Achilles is the former captain of the former strongest familia in Orario. He fought all of the three Great Beasts. He is the only person to ever survive fighting the One-Eyed Black Dragon. He is the first person to ever reach level seven. Fighting him normally, in a War Game or whatnot, would be difficult. We could do it," Finn said, gesturing towards Riviera and Gareth. "But at least one of us would die, weakening this familia, which we really can't have, for if Freya even suspects that we were involved in his death, which she will, she'll attack us with everything she has. Now, we might survive with allies, but we won't have those allies if they also suspect we killed their guardian and friend. So, I'm going to ask you again, Loki. What are you asking us to do?"

Loki looked him dead in the eye.

"I'm not asking you anything, Finn. I'm ordering you to kill Achilles Caesar the second a good opportunity presents itself."

* * *

Alright, another bites the dust. I certainly hope you guys enjoyed that, I certainly did, though I'll admit with regards to Bell's and Achilles's relationship, I may be moving a bit fast. I do hope you'll forgive me that, and I recognize it may even come across as a bit out of character, though, given that Bell fell in love with Aiz at first sight, and has a very trusting and friendly nature, I don't think I'm being too outlandish with his blooming father/son relationship with Achilles. That said, there's still a long way to go and they'll be plenty of ups and downs along the way. I also hope I'm not terribly upsetting any Loki familia fans. I following the line of logic that I think Achilles would have towards Loki familia, as well as ideas that I think not only fit with Loki's response, but will add something to the story. As such, I hope you can forgive my harshness in treating them, I know that many people like members of Loki familia, indeed there are members I like and hope to work with in the future. Finally, I hope you'll forgive me for not putting the fight in this chapter that I promised. It was supposed to go into this chapter, but after I began writing, I realized that this was another situation where I should probably split the chapter in two, else risk making it monstrously long. The fact that this chapter took so long to get around to also influenced my decision as I didn't want you guys to have to wait any longer. With that long diatribe of excuses out of the way, I'll just say that I really do hope you enjoyed. If you did, please favorite, alert, and review, with that, bye for now.


	7. Chapter 7

Hello again everyone, and welcome back to Heroes. Before we begin, I'd like to again, take a moment to address some criticism I received in hopes of understanding and improving my writing.

"Anon" made a few points, and I want to make sure we're completely on the same page since I do believe several of his points had merit.

He stated that Hermes suggested that Zeus may have left willingly and that Loki familia rising to the top may not have been a power grab. I do not personally recall such a suggestion, if we're discussing his conversation with Bell at Apollo's party, that was not how I interpreted it and, from what I remember seeing, things did seem to suggest that Loki and Freya made a power grab, but I would not be terribly surprised if what Anon said turns out to be the case. However, for the sake of the story, for now, it will remain as a power grab.

On the note of Achilles's reaction being overdone, he does have a point. My thought was that his rage made him act irrationally towards the Loki familia, even at the risk of the new bond he made with Bell and the Hestia familia. However, this kind of excuse has often been used to justify bad writing, i.e. "Oh, they were just being stupid, thus it makes sense." So, on that note, I apologize. My goal, overall, was to raise the tension of the story and show that alliances, especially ones built around the concept of "my enemy of my enemy is my friend" are often very shaky (in fact, if I'm not mistaken, the person who gave us that saying was eventually betrayed and decapitated), and that this alliance would have a level of uneasiness to it. However, I do have an idea in the works that should hopefully, at least marginally, address this. That said, this was a valid point, and I thank you for it.

Finally, Loki. I can only say that the excuse is much the same as Achilles's, that is to say, not the best case of writing, for which I again apologize. The point of the little backstory paragraph was to show that she too, holds a grudge against Achilles and doesn't think as rationally as she normally does when it comes to him. Again, I was thinking along the lines of rising action, and perhaps took the characters out of character this chapter. I do believe you are also right with regards to Finn. He and the others would certainly have an issue with the order from Loki, which I do believe I showed, but I was unaware of his statement about leaving the familia if things didn't follow his goals, or I simply fail to remember that statement.

This all said, unlike the previous situation where the criticisms allowed me to make an improvement to the following chapter, I find myself unable to do so again, at least wholly. What I have written will stick with the story and follow along its path, so I hope that you all will be able to forgive me for that failure. I can only say I did what I thought was best for the story, and that I am sorry for my failure to properly write the characters. I will work to do better in the future.

On one final, side note, I'm going to tune down the cursing in this. I did it mostly to remind people that this was an "M" rated story, but after the scene with Aisha, and my realization that it just doesn't sound right coming out of any of these characters' mouths, I decided to back off from it.

Now, with my excuses out the way, let's get back to the story.

I do not own Danmachi

* * *

Achilles marched through the streets breathing heavily. His meeting with Loki had gone far worse than he had expected, due, in no small part, to his temper.

"_Threaten to destroy the people you're trying to ally with, brilliant Achilles. Brilliant." _

He knew he was in the wrong with what happened, and that he'd jeopardized something that would help protect the Hestia familia, but, as much as he now hated to admit it, a part of him felt a kind of elation. He had never been shy about his disdain for those he once called friends and allies, but to finally throw out everything that had been boiling inside him for fifteen years had felt good. Great even.

He stopped in the middle of the road and placed his hands on his waist. He sighed.

"I have to calm down. Whatever happened in the past, I cannot change now. What I can do is protect what I have now. So no more stupid mistakes."

Taking a deep breath, he let the tension and anger drop from his body. Now unburdened, he put on a smile and continued walking, heading for the Guild where the Hestia familia now waited for him.

Arriving inside, he found the familia chatting away as they awaited his arrival.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting," he said.

"It's no problem," Bell said, getting a few words of agreement from the others. "How'd things go with Loki?"

"Well, she agreed to the alliance, but I think it's best if you handle inter-familia relations from now on, Bell."

They all gave him a confused look, not sure what to make of that, but none of them decided to push him for more information.

"Alright, well, we're all ready to go," Bell said.

"Excellent. I can't wait to see what you all are capable of," Achilles said with honest excitement.

With that, they all got up and made their way out of the Guild and towards the Dungeon.

* * *

Aiz was unnaturally silent. The girl had always been quiet, but now the silence suffocated all around them, and none of them could blame her.

"Aiz, things will be alright," Tiona said, trying to coax her out of her current state. It didn't work as she continued to stare off into space.

Tiona turned to her sister who gave her a sympathetic look, but shook her head. There was nothing they could do. Bete, however, growled and walked over to Aiz and stood before her.

"What's your deal? The guy's a prick who threatened your familia, and you're sad because Loki told us to get rid of him? You should be thrilled! That guy attacked you! Degraded us all again and again, and has now stated that he wants to destroy us! Why do you look like someone kicked your pet rabbit?"

"Bete!" Tione called. "Shut up! It's not the simple and you know it!"

"What's not simple about it? This guy barges into our home and threatens us. Seems pretty simple to me."

"He's the only person to ever survive fighting the One-Eyed Black Dragon, which means he has valuable information and experience, which could help her in the future."

"Who cares about that monster? No one's seen the thing for years. And besides, he said himself that she should abandon her quest and you and I both know he isn't gonna tell her shit about how to fight it, so what's the problem?" he turned back to Aiz. "What, are you afraid of upsetting your little bunny rabbit?"

Aiz shot to her feet and placed herself inches from Bete, glaring at him. The move shocked the three, but Bete was quick to get over his surprise and return her glare.

"Hit a nerve did I? Don't tell me you actually like the white rabbit?" he growled.

Aiz was never given the chance to answer as Finn and the others arrived.

"What's going on here?" he demanded.

"Bete's being an ass!" Tiona said, glaring at the wolfman.

"Well lock it up," Finn demanded. "We cannot be at each other's throats right now. Things in Orario are getting tenser by the day and we need to all be on the same team for when, not if, things go down. Is that understood?" he finished, his eyes focusing on Bete and Aiz.

Bete growled.

"Yeah, I got you."

Aiz did not reply, instead she continued to glare at her fellow familia member.

"Aiz!" Finn called. "Do you understand?"

Finally, she turned to him.

"I understand," her eyes turned back to Bete. "Don't ever assume to speak on the Dragon again," she warned. "And don't insult my friends."

With that, she stormed off to retrieve her gear, leaving the rest of her familia to clean up the mess."

Finn sighed.

"This has to stop," he said addressing everyone. "I know there are some who disagree with this order, and there are those who are happy to fulfill it, but whatever the case, we have to work together," he said, looking at each one of the familia present. "You all are the best of this familia. Its pride and joy, and its protectors. Right now you've been assigned one the most difficult mission you've ever received and you need to treat it as such. That means no fighting of any kind, especially not personal attacks," his eyes fell to Bete. "Am I understood?"

Everyone but Bete nodded, as he knew he was being singled out.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. Shit. I just don't get why she seems okay with the guy who threatened her familia. Aren't we her family?"

"We are," Riveria said. "But this situation is complicated. There are things in play that don't make this easy for any of us, including Achilles," she admitted. "He was once a friend of ours, but the situation fifteen years ago changed everything. The three of us honestly were prepared to deny Loki on this matter." This gained a few looks of surprise. "But in the end, we decided to follow her order. Not because we want to, but because you all mean far too much to us to let the threat of Achilles hanging over our heads remain."

"So we have to kill him?" Tiona asked. She was in a similar boat to Aiz, her joy at meeting a legendary figured, mixed up with her anger at his threat, creating a terrible concoction that sat very poorly in her stomach.

"Or incapacitate him. The goal is simply to remove the threat to our familia," Finn said.

"So, if he pulled back on his threat, would that be enough?" Tiona asked.

A few sighs passed amongst the group at the question. Level six though she was, there was still an innocence to her heart.

"Achilles doesn't make threats like that idly," Finn said, crushing her hope. "But, I suppose, if we honestly knew he had no intention of fulfilling his threat, we could ask that the order be cancelled."

That brought a little light to Tiona's eyes.

"Then that's the goal." Everyone turned to see Aiz in full armor. "To force him to retract his threat."

Finn stared at her for a moment, taking in her resolve before nodding.

"Then we're going to need to be stronger. And there's only one place in Orario that will ensure we do that."

Aiz nodded.

"The Dungeon."

* * *

Hestia familia had progressed to the middle floors, and were currently dealing with a horde of ax-wielding white rabbits.

"I'm guessing your friends have made unfavorable comparisons between you and these monsters, Bell," Achilles said with a smile.

"Achilles! Please don't remind me!" the rabbit-like adventurer cried.

The ex-captain laughed as he watched the level four easily deal with a handful of the monsters.

The rest of the familia smiled, but kept quiet, focusing their attention on their own monsters, which they dealt with skillfully, if not as quickly as their captain.

Finally, the last of the monsters were dealt with, allowing Bell to turn to Achilles.

"Done," he said, showing no signs of fatigue.

"Not quite," Achilles replied, reaching his hand up just in time to catch a furry assailant by the head. Wasting no time, he crushed its skull, destroying it and allowing a magic stone to drop. "Now we're done."

"How's everyone holding up?" Achilles asked, walking up to the rest of the group.

"Pretty well. Having a level four and seven here has a way of making things easier," Welf answered.

"I barely did anything, and having a level four wouldn't necessarily make things better if you didn't have proper teamwork, which, I'm glad to say, you do appear to have."

They all smiled.

"So is there anything we need to improve on?" Bell asked.

"We'll talk about that later when we begin the actual training, but be sure, I am taking notes and while I am pleased with what I'm seeing, there are certainly things that I can help improve."

Everyone nodded at that. They weren't fools. They knew that, compared to the level seven, former captain, there was a great deal they still needed to learn, but they took solace in the fact that they not only earned his praise, but had not required his intervention thus far.

"So, how much farther do you want to go?" Lili inquired.

"Hm," Achilles thought. "Well, it depends on the goal I suppose. I did tell Hestia I was willing to help pay off the debt of Bell's knife, which means going down further would be a good idea. However, the point of today was to see your skills and where you needed to improve. As such we only really need maybe one more good fight and I'll have all the information I'll need to formulate a training regimen. So I'll leave it up all of you."

The group turned to each other and began discussing it, coming to a conclusion after a minute or so.

"How about one more level? That should give you a little more information and we'll get a better reward by the end of today," Bell suggested.

"Sounds good," Achilles answered with a smile.

And so, Hestia familia continued down into the dungeon, dealing with the monsters that attacked along the way and collecting their bounty until they reached their destination, level fifteen.

"Whew, we got a pretty good haul today, didn't we?" Welf said with a smile.

"We did," Lili admitted. "This should cover our expenses for the next month, if we budget correctly."

"Oh come on Lil' Lily, can you not talk about budgeting and just be excited?"

"I'm the only one who cares about our finances, unless you'd like to be in charge of our accounts!" Lily countered.

This began a back and forth that only caused Achilles's smile to grow.

"Quite the family you've got here," he said to Bell.

Bell smiled fondly and nodded.

"They really are something."

The joyous sight before him made Achilles's heart swell, but he was not able to enjoy it for long as he felt something approaching.

"We've got company."

Everyone's attention snapped to the sound of feet stomping towards them. Not long after a group of five minotaurs appeared, wielding improvised weapons.

"Everyone," Bell called. Instantly everyone took up their positions, only for Achilles to hold up his hand.

"Mind if I take these guys Bell? I need to get back in the groove of things."

"It'll take you a single swing of your sword to deal with these guys," Lily said.

"That's why I'm going to make it a wee bit more interesting," Achilles said, taking out his sword and plunging it into the ground. "It's been a while since I've practiced my hand-to-hand skills."

The Hestia familia watched as Achilles approached the minotaurs, cracking his knuckles.

"Hey guys, how's your health plan?"

Enraged, one of the minotaurs launched at him, trying to cleave him with their weapon. This didn't go to plan as Achilles caught the weapon before proceeding to crush it.

"Apparently it's great!" he cried before punching the monster, the force of which caused it to instantly burst into dust.

The minotaurs, now understanding the danger of the situation, backed up, and looked ready to retreat, but Achilles wasn't going to allow that. He quickly attacked the second minotaur, punching it so hard in the stomach that its back exploded before it burst into dust. Then he jumped up and kicked another minotaur, decapitating it with the force of the blow. He then flipped over the fourth, grabbed it by its horns and threw it on the ground with enough force to create a crater. Finally, the fifth he thrust his hand like a spear through the creature's chest, piercing its heart before it finally disappeared into nothingness.

"Well that was fun," he said, wiping his hands. He turned back to Hestia familia who were looking at him with wide-eyes and open mouths. He laughed.

"Come on guys, let's go home."

After awakening from their stupors and collecting the magic stones, the familia eagerly followed after him, questions popping out of them one after the other, all of which, Achilles was happy to answer.

They finally returned to level ten some time later, the wasteland of white sand and barren trees greeting them with as much enthusiasm as a graveyard.

"I hate this level," Lily said. Achilles noticed her tone suggested there was something more to her words than one would normally think. Seeing Bell go up and rub her head only heightened that thought. But, he decided to leave it be. If she wanted to share, he'd listen. If not, it was her business.

Suddenly, he sensed something behind them and stopped, a small smile growing on his face.

"Achilles?" Bell turned to him. "What's wrong?"

"Oh nothing it's just…" he thought for a moment. "Would you guys mind giving me a little more time in the Dungeon? It has been so many years since I was here and I want to make sure that all the kinks are worked out."

"Do you want us to stay with you?" the young man asked.

"No, that's alright. You can continue on ahead, I'll catch up in a little while. If I'm not back by the time you reach the surface, just head to the Guild and I'll meet you there. Afterwards we can get something to eat. My treat."

The familia shared a look, but quickly shrugged. They could understand where he was coming from.

"Alright, but please don't be too long," Bell asked.

"I'll be done before you know it," Achilles said with a smile.

Leaving their guardian behind, the Hestia familia continued on, leaving Achilles to turn his full attention to the matter at hand.

"Hello Ottar," he greeted, turning to face his fellow level seven.

The Freya captain made no reply.

"You're quite decked out today," Achilles continued, undisturbed. And Ottar was. His normal attire was set aside for dark armor that covered his shoulders, arms, and legs, but left his chest uncovered, a testament to his power, not an arrogant statement. On his face was a Freya familia style visor, a band of black metal that hid his eyes, and created an intimidating aura. On his back was his sword, but not his usual mass of crude metal. No, this was refined adamantine, forged into a great black blade that looked like it could cleave a mountain in two. This was Ottar's true battle attire. What he wore when he faced an opponent truly worthy of his skill and might.

"I'm guessing this has something to do with my meeting with Freya."

"You burned off some of her hair," the boaz growled.

"Did I? Hm. And what do you want me to do about it? Pay for her haircut? I guess I can spare some valis."

"Enough of your games, Achilles," Ottar growled.

"What is this if not a game, Ottar," Achilles countered. "You can't kill me. Freya would be furious. She still might be for this transgression. So, the worst you can do is an unfriendly spar, like we used to do when I trained you all those years ago."

"I'm no longer your student," Ottar said, grabbing his sword.

"Oh, so this is your official challenge to show that the student has become the master, is it?" Ottar made no reply. "Very well, I suppose I can comply. It'll be good to see how far you've come. And to give you a lesson in modesty."

"You think you we will win this?"

"I'd say I have a fair shot. Especially since I didn't teach you all my moves," Achilles replied, taking out his own sword. "And besides, you're not the worse thing I've faced."

"I'm bad enough. And I've also learned a few tricks of my own these last fifteen years."

"Good. Show me."

Ottar was happy to oblige.

"Annihilate my enemies with a blow that shakes the earth. Strike of Extermination!"

A slash of red energy launched at Achilles.

"I call forth the power of Olympus to defeat all my foes. Blade of Light!"

Achilles's blade was covered in blue light, the sound of crackling lightning filling the air.

Moving quicker than any normal mortal being could see, Achilles blocked the strike and battered it away. He didn't have long to regather himself as Ottar was before him, his sword swinging straight for his head.

"Terror Fang!"

The blades crashed together sending blue and red light flying through the air and sending Achilles back.

"You've gotten faster, Ottar," Achilles commented.

Again, the boaz made no reply, striking at the former captain.

Achilles's brow scrunched as his body reacted more slowly than normal to the strike.

"Ah, I see. That attack slowed me down. In that case. Make me faster than even the gods. Lightning Steps!"

Ottar quickly retreated and prepared for the onslaught to come. He did not have to wait long.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Achilles's sword swinging for his neck. He quickly dodged, a few strands of hair being cut before the next strike came. Again and again the two clashed, the power of their strikes sending shock waves through the area, blowing away mountains of sand and uprooting the withered trees.

Having enough of being on the defensive, Ottar countered a blow towards his side and grabbed Achilles before throwing him to the ground, creating a crater. He then aimed a downward strike at Achilles, only for the man to bring a hand up.

"Flash," he said, snapping his fingers.

Blinding light appeared before Ottar, slowing his strike, giving Achilles just enough time to dodge and counter with a kick to the face.

Achilles, not allowing the chance to slip from him, struck out, attacking his former pupil again and again.

One cut, then two, then another, appeared on Ottar as Achilles attacked him relentlessly. Finally, his patience gone, Ottar cried out.

"Enough!"

An explosion of red power erupted forcing Achilles back. He watched as the red, flaming energy surrounded Ottar, bathing him its terrible light. He whistled.

"You couldn't do that fifteen years ago."

"Play time is over, Achilles," Ottar said. "Come at me like you mean it."

"If you insist."

Blue energy burst forth from Achilles to match Ottar, only unlike Ottar's which appeared as flames dancing over his body, Achilles's was naturally lightning, surrounding him in an armor of terrible light.

"Don't complain if this turns out differently than you expected," Achilles said seriously.

Ottar's grip on his sword tightened.

"I call forth the rage of battle to help me destroy my enemies and steal away their lives," Ottar chanted..

"I summon the rage of all the gods on high to me so that I may lay low my foes," Achilles responded.

"Let them tremble under the might of my sword. Let them fear the sound of my coming."

"May their skies darkened and fill them with dread. May they know their end has come."

The two glared at each other.

"**Fierce Charge of Mortality!**" Ottar cried.

"**Storm of the Divine!**" Achilles screamed.

* * *

Loki familia was making its way down the Dungeon when the ground began to shake beneath them and a resounding boom echoed through the halls.

"What the Hell was that?" Bete demanded.

No one had an answer, which did nothing to ease their minds.

"Everyone be on your guard. It could be anything," Finn stated.

They continued their trek down the path, everyone tense with their hands on their weapons, when suddenly a pair of adventurers came running towards them, clearly terrified.

"Hey, hey. What happened?" Finn asked, upon stopping the adventurers.

"T-The King, h-he's fighting someone. I-I don't know who," the first began.

"Didn't you hear? The former Zeus captain returned to Orario. That had to be him!" the second cried.

This news shocked and alarmed everyone Loki familia.

"You're sure?" Finn asked. The second nodded.

"Yeah. The King was in this scary black armor, with a sword like I've never seen before in his hand. He looked like a monster."

"_He only wears that when he's being completely serious. Achilles would certainly qualify for that."_

"And the second adventurer? Are you sure it was the Olympian?" he continued to press them.

"I can't be completely sure, I've never seen the guy. But he was surrounded by blue lightning and the two were evenly matched. Not that I could really see much. The two were so fast and kept blowing away everything when they clashed."

"_That's Achilles alright,"_ Finn thought.

"Can you guys make it back to the surface?"

"I think so. Anything's better than staying near those two monsters."

The two adventurers fled, allowing the Loki familia to turn to each other.

"Prepare yourselves everyone," Finn said as another quake shook the Dungeon. "This presents us with perhaps the rarest opportunity we'll ever have. With the Olympian fighting the King, we have a chance to fulfill Loki's orders and take out two powerful enemies in one blow and do so in a manner that can easily be portrayed as their fight going too far. If we're very lucky, they may have already dealt each other serious blows and all of us will make it out in one piece. But be ready. Even wounded these two are extremely dangerous."

Everyone nodded, even Aiz, who still hoped that there was a chance to save the one person who could help her defeat the Dragon. This did not go unnoticed by Finn.

"Aiz," he said, catching her attention. "This may not go how you want it to. We may find ourselves in a situation where it's either their lives or ours. If that happens, I need you to be on our side."

A shattered look came upon Aiz. She wanted so badly for things to work out where death could be avoided. But she knew Finn spoke the truth, as much as she hated it.

She could not muster any words in reply and simply nodded solemnly.

"_I'm sorry Aiz,"_ Finn thought.

The Loki familia entered the tenth level and found it a war zone. Craters littered the ground. Areas that were formerly sand had now turned to glass courtesy of the heat and power of Ottar's flames and Achilles's lightning. Every tree had either been knocked down or was on fire. There was no sight of any monsters, likely because they were either annihilated as unintentional casualties in the two level sevens' battle, or they had fled in terror as these two, more terrible, monsters, rampaged through the level. Likely it was a bit of both.

"Everyone be ready for anything," Finn ordered before they all made their way down.

They approached the battle carefully, readying themselves for what was to come. Finally, they saw them.

Ottar, half his eye piece now destroyed, glared at Achilles with a fury that would have loosened the bowls of weaker beings. His breath was ragged, but he didn't look near ready to end this fight, which was just fine with Achilles, especially since he did not have the same limitations as Ottar. He wasn't going to kill him, this was his old pupil and friend after all, but putting the King even temporarily out of commission would place Hestia familia in a much better position. As such, he made ready to go on the offensive when he saw Ottar's eyes shift.

Taking a quick peek he saw that Loki familia had arrived while they were fighting and were now staring at the pair anxiously.

"Well, looks like we should put our spar on hold for now, Ottar," he said, making sure to smile to annoy his former student.

It was all too clear that Ottar was not pleased with the turn of events, but with the arrival of his rival familia, he didn't dare put himself in a situation that could see him destroyed.

"Very well," he conceded, returning his sword to his back.

Satisfied, Achilles turned to leave.

"Afternoon Finn," he said as courteously as possible. Naturally he couldn't simply put what happened that morning behind him, but he could at least indicate that he meant no harm at the moment.

Finn said nothing, which Achilles didn't find too surprising. What did surprise him was when Bete stepped in front of him, his eyes clearly stating a threat.

"Can I help you, puppy dog?" Achilles said, earning a growl, but no other response.

When nothing else happened and the area went deadly silent, Achilles decided to turn back to Finn.

"Finn, would you mind telling your pet to stand aside?"

It was then that he noticed that Finn's grip on his spear was unusually tight. He wasn't the only one looking nervous either. Riveria and Gareth looked like a stone had settled in their stomachs, the Amazon sisters were twitchy, Bete was clearly eager for something, the two lower leveled adventurers looked ready to throw-up, and finally, Aiz looked concerned with a hint of heart-brokenness hidden deep in her eyes.

Achilles apparently wasn't the only one to notice this as Ottar's eyes lowered and he took a step forward, his hand finding the hilt of his sword.

"Finn," Achilles said. "Care to explain what's going on?" he finished, turning his attention back to the prum captain.

Nervous eyes met his and, after a moment, a bead of sweat drop down Finn's temple. That was all Achilles needed.

"I see," he said. He turned away from the Loki captain towards the Freya captain. "Hey Ottar, I know we were just fighting, but for the sake of old times, I'd like to make you an offer." The boaz turned to him, the faintest hint of curiosity in his eyes. "Here's the deal. I'll apologize to Freya, in person, for the hair. I'll even bow. In exchange, you help me deal with this lot."

Finn's eyes shot open. He wasn't the only one shocked or outright horrified by the sudden offer as each of the Loki familia back away, with Bete, Gareth, and the Amazon sisters preparing for combat. Of course they had understood that they were about to face both Achilles and Ottar, but they had anticipated them to be on opposing sides, which would work to their advantage. Allied together, the two posed an obstacle unlike anything they had faced in a long time, if ever. The idea was even worse for Finn, Riveria, and Gareth, as they were aware that they were former teacher and student, meaning they knew how to fight together.

The offer surprised Ottar, especially given that, merely moments ago, they were engaged in a heated battle. Yet, he quickly saw the benefit of the chance presented to him. He could remove a significant challenge to his familia, and please his goddess. All in all, a win-win.

"I can agree to those terms. Though, I thought they were your allies," he questioned.

"Can't be allies with people here to kill me. Though I suppose I should add that killing them is to be avoided, if possible," Achilles said calmly.

The two took their place before the Loki familia, side-by-side, swords in hand, ready for what came next.

"So," Achilles said. "Would you like to start, or should we?"

Finn's hands were shaking now. He had not been lying when he said that taking down Achilles would be a momentous task; that was why he had brought the highest level members of his familia to the Dungeon to train and grow stronger. It was by chance that they came across Achilles, and in the situation he was in. It was a rare chance to take down two powerful rivals in one moment, and do so in such a way that could easily have been said was caused by their own hands. Some wouldn't believe them. Freya, for one, was sure to suspect them, but without Ottar, she would not be able to make a full-fledged attack on Loki familia without severe risk of losing the battle. But now, not only had the two stopped fighting, they were teaming up. The only two level sevens in Orario's history. Former master and pupil. Tired and wounded though they may be, he honestly wasn't sure if any of them would come out of the exchange alive. However, it appeared that a certain adventurer's Luck was on his side for today.

"Achilles!"

Everyone turned and were met with the sight of Bell running towards them.

"Bell," Achilles greeted, returning his sword to its scabbard. "What are you doing here?"

"You were taking so long, I and the others got worried. Then I heard an explosion on the way back so I ran back as fast as possible," the young man explained.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that. Ottar and I were just catching up on old times," Achilles said with a smile.

Bell, of course, wasn't stupid, nor was he blind. He saw the wounds Achilles now possessed and, shifting his eyes to the King, he saw that, he too, had wounds covering his body. Nothing mortal, of course, but clearly there. He then noticed the King's sword was unsheathed and he was turned towards the Loki familia. Now shifting his focus to them, he saw that all of them looked extremely tense. His eyes passed each of them, getting a few very different reactions. Most of them: Finn, Riveria, Gareth, Tione, Tiona, and Lefiya looked guilt-ridden. Raul refused to meet his eyes. Bete glared at him, looking furious, but restrained. Finally, his eyes fell on Aiz, and her reaction was the most startling of all. There was guilt there, but more than that, she looked utterly devastated. Like something she wanted deep down in her soul was being denied to her. She looked ready to cry, and that hurt Bell more than he could say.

"What's going on here?"

No one wanted to answer. Not Achilles, who understood his part in creating the situation. Not Ottar for fear of portraying his goddess in a negative light to the object of her affections. And none of Loki familia, who couldn't dare admit that they were planning to kill his mentor. Well, none but one of the Loki familia.

"We were ordered to kill Achilles."

Everyones' eyes shot to the speaker revealing it to be Aiz Wallenstein.

"Aiz!" Finn cried, alarmed and shocked to his core.

The Sword Princess seemed surprised herself. This was amplified by all the eyes suddenly upon her. Yet, after a moment, her eyes hardened and she looked at Bell, who now looked at her with shocked, disbelieving eyes.

"What?" was all he could manage.

Now steeled in her decision, and resolved to accept any punishment that came next, Aiz pushed forward.

"This morning, Achilles threatened our familia. In response, Loki ordered us to destroy him at the nearest opportunity that offered us a way so that neither your familia, nor Freya knew."

Achilles was legitimately surprised. He expected everyone in Loki familia to deny any such plans to their graves, but here was one of them, and one he admittedly had not cared much for, doing the exact opposite of her own free will.

"_Perhaps I will have to rethink my position on her,"_ he thought.

Bell's mind was spinning. Achilles's words that morning had suggested that things hadn't gone particularly well with Loki, but he hadn't made any indication that the two sides were prepared to kill each other.

"Achilles...is this true?" he said, turning to the former captain.

Achilles sighed. He didn't want to admit it, but not only was it pointless to try and lie at this stage, but he didn't have the heart to be false to Bell when he asked like that.

"It is. I let my rage over past events get the better of me and said some things I shouldn't have. I'm sorry Bell."

Bell's eyes screamed out their shock and horror at his mentor's actions, causing a knife to enter the older man's heart as the weight of his mistake fell upon him.

Bell turned from him, his eyes falling to the ground as his fists clenched at his side and his body began to shake.

No one knew what was about to happen, but none dared intervene. There were so many ways things could go. He could side with Achilles against Loki familia, ending their alliance. He could do the reverse and banish the ex-captain for his actions. He could just run, the weight of the actions of his fellow adventurers being too much for him, causing him to make a rapid retreat. But this is not what happened. Instead, after a tense minute or so had passed, the shaking stopped and he looked up, his eyes adamantine and his heart a raging inferno.

"Achilles," he said, his voice unwavering and powerful.

"Yes?" the elder man said, startled by the force behind Bell's voice.

"You will apologize to Loki familia and rescind any threat you made against them."

Everyone blinked. How could they not? Bell Cranel, level four, captain of Hestia familia, a new, still relatively small familia, had just given the level seven, former captain of Zeus familia, an order. One that he was not inclined to ignore.

"_This is an interesting turn of events,"_ Achilles thought.

"Of course," he said, bowing his head. "Finn." The prum snapped his attention to him. "I apologize for my actions this morning and rescind my threat against your familia. I hope we can better get along in the future."

The apology itself was surprising, but the fact that it sounded so genuine made it more so. For all intents and purposes, it appeared that Achilles meant every word. And, in fact, he did. This was an order from the boy he hoped to earn the title of 'father' from. As such, he could not deny him.

"Good," Bell said. "Now Finn." The Loki captain shot his attention to Bell. "You will tell Loki-sama that if she wishes for this alliance to go forth, she will immediately rescind her order to kill Achilles and make no more moves against him. Will you tell her that?"

"O-Of course," Finn said, bowing his head just like Achilles. "I will inform her immediately."

"Good."

The whole thing was perhaps the single most surprising thing that any of them had seen in a long time, but things only got more so when Bell suddenly turned and walked straight up to Ottar.

Achilles hand fell to his sword, but he made no move to intervene.

"Hello, Ottar-san. I don't think we've officially met," he began.

"No, we haven't," the King stated.

"I'm Bell Cranel, though I suppose you already know that."

Ottar nodded.

"I do."

"Would you mind giving, Freya-sama a message for me?"

No one knew quite how to react to that, least of all Achilles who was a mixture of concerned, confused, and curious.

"Of course," Ottar readily agreed. "What would you like me to tell her?"

"Please tell her that, while I'm honored she thinks so highly of me, I am in love with someone else and thus can't return her feelings."

Numerous jaws dropped. Achilles's hand fell from his sword as he stared at his ward in disbelief.

"_Did he just…"_ everyone thought.

"_...reject Freya?"_ Achilles finished.

Ottar's face showed no emotion, and no one knew how he would react. It was quite possible that he would take personal offense at the statement, viewing it as an insult to his goddess, but it's not like he could actually hurt Bell, so everyone simply waited for his response.

"She is aware," he finally said.

Achilles's eyes shot over to Aiz. His were not the only one as Riveria, Gareth, and Finn all looked at her from the corner of their eyes, though the girl herself seemed oblivious to their eyes. That was not the case for the rest of Loki familia who noticed the sudden focus on their Sword Princess and it did not take any of them long to figure out what those eyes meant.

"However," Ottar continued. "This is of little consequence. Freya always gets what she wants. Your infatuation means little."

Achilles, again, prepared to intervene as he suspected Bell would not take too kindly to having his feelings so degraded. These were the feelings that had created Liaris Freese after all, they weren't exactly something to be brushed aside. However, Bell did not become enraged. He barely even moved at the statement.

"If that's true then I ask that she proves it."

Ottar finally showed his confusion.

"Prove, what?"

"That she loves me. If she truly thinks so highly of me then she won't find winning my love the old-fashioned way unappealing or difficult. However she is not allowed to use Charm or tricks. She must honestly earn my affection. She'll also do the same with Achilles."

Said man watched the exchange with increasing confusion.

"_What the Hell's going on?"_

Ottar stared down at Bell.

"I was informed that you are immune to Charm."

The eyes of Loki familia looked ready to burst out of their skulls at hearing this and they turned to Achilles who, getting over his confusion for the moment, turned to them and gave them a shrug that simply indicated, 'yeah, he's not lying'.

"Even more reason for her to do things the right way," Bell replied.

Ottar stared at the young man again, this time for longer, trying to garner what was passing through Bell's mind.

"So, to be clear. You wish for Freya-sama to earn your affections as a normal woman would?"

Bell nodded.

"Yes. Otherwise you can tell her that, no matter what she does; no matter what she threatens, what she promises, or who she hurts, I won't love her. If she wants me to give her my heart, she has to earn, just like the one who I love now, earned it."

"I see," Ottar said, after a moment.

"So, will you tell her?"

"Yes. I will inform her of your request, Bell Cranel."

"Thank you, Ottar-san," Bell said, bowing. "I look forward to her response," he turned to Achilles. "Let's go, Achilles."

"Yes sir," he replied, watching as Bell strode off, not sparing anyone a final glance.

Achilles turned to everyone and gave them a look that said a mixture of, 'that just happened' and 'hell of a kid, isn't he?', before turning to follow after Bell.

"He's the one isn't he?"

Achilles stopped. He turned to Finn.

"The one you think can kill the One-Eyed Black Dragon," the Loki captain finished.

Achilles's smile dropped and he quickly checked on Bell. Finding that he was still walking away and showed no indication of having heard Finn, he turned back to the prum.

"Thank you, Finn. Thank you for saying that in front of the captain of the woman who's obsessed with him, and," he pointed at Aiz who was now staring off at the disappearing form of Bell with wide eyes. "The girl who's life goal is to kill that creature. I really appreciate that."

If Finn felt remorse for his statement, he didn't show it. He simply kept staring at Achilles.

"But, alright. Fine. You got me. It's not like it was a hard guess given how I'm gushing over the boy. So, yeah. He's the one. The only person in the world I think has the potential of killing the Dragon. Not me. Not you. Not Ottar. And not your precious Sword Princess. His exponential growth makes it a possibility. Hell, he might be the only person who could fulfill the Level Ten Theory." Finn's eyes did widen at this, but Achilles wasn't done. "But there's a difference between me thinking that he has the chance and me actually wanting him to confront that thing. Even if he gets strong enough to defeat it, it'll be the hardest fight of his life and he still might die. I. Don't. Want. That. So, I won't push him towards that end. In fact, I'll pull him from it. And if anyone tries to push him towards that end," his eyes turned towards Aiz. "Let's just say the Dragon will be the least of their worries."

His threat made, Achilles left without another word, following to catch up with Bell and pretend the entire conversation hadn't happened.

Unbeknown to both Achilles and the whole Loki familia, a certain boaz grew a subtle, but clear smile.

* * *

Ottar made his way through the Tower of Babel until he reached the floor where his goddess resided.

Opening the door, he found the room filled the other high-level members of his familia, all of whom turned to him with expressions that showed clear displeasure.

"Our goddess wishes to speak with you," Allen said, his voice menacing.

Ottar simply nodded and walked by him.

"She's upset with you," the catman continued.

Ottar paused for a moment at the door that led to Freya's room. He turned his head to the level six.

"Not for long."

With that he turned back to the door and entered, leaving Allen and the others to ponder and fume at his words.

Freya stood by the window, a glass of wine in her hand, staring at the city now bathed in orange light.

"Welcome back, Ottar," she greeted, her voice just as sweet and lovely as ever.

"My lady," Ottar said, taking a knee behind her.

"You've been naughty, O-ttar," she said, finally turning to him.

"I apologize for my behavior, my lady," he replied, his head falling.

He suddenly found his head being lifted so that he was looking directly into his goddess's eyes.

"It's going to take a lot more than an apology to make up for what you did, Ottar," she said. The tone she used would have sent shivers up anyone's spine. The sweetness was still there, but mixed in was a deluge of venom that showed, not only her extreme displeasure, but her power. "You attacked one of my beloveds. A man I have been after for years. Why would you do such a thing?"

"I-," even Ottar could not face his goddess when she was like this. "I could not let the injury he inflicted upon you stand."

Freya let go of his chin as she laughed.

"Injury? He burned some hair. It was about time for my haircut anyway."

"Even so. It was clearly an act of aggression and I could not allow such a thing to go unpunished. My intention was never to kill him, only injure and force him to apologize."

"And did you get an apology?" she asked.

"In a way."

"In a way?" she gave him a look. "Explain."

"While we were fighting, Loki familia arrived and he called off our battle. Seeing the situation, I submitted. However, he quickly discovered that Loki familia had hostile intentions towards him."

"Oh?" Freya's grip on her glass tightened. "What happened?"

"Achilles offered a temporary alliance with me in exchange for dealing with the Loki familia. He offered up a personal apology to you, even saying he would bow in exchange for my help."

"Did he now?" she looked around. "I don't see him though."

"No. No fight occurred. It was prevented by the appearance of Bell Cranel."

"Bell-kun?"

The tone shift was not missed by Ottar.

"Yes. The boy arrived to check in on Achilles and found the situation I described. Aiz Wallenstein then revealed that Loki had ordered them to kill Achilles at the best opportunity."

"Did she now?" cracks appeared in Freya's glass as she now glared down at her captain. "And your fight with him would have proved the perfect cover."

Ottar's head fell.

"Indeed. However," he looked back up at his goddess. "What happened next was extraordinary."

Some of Freya's anger dissipated in favor of curiosity.

"And what happened?"

"Bell Cranel ordered Achilles to apologize to the Loki familia and rescind his threat against them. He then ordered Finn to inform Loki that, if she wished to keep her alliance with Hestia, she must also rescind her order against Achilles."

All the anger Freya had felt had gone up in smoke as delight filled her being and a smile burst on her lips.

"He did that?"

Ottar nodded.

"You should have seen it, my lady. His eyes held a strength that I've seen in few adventurers or gods."

Euphoria rushed through Freya's veins at that. The idea of her Bell standing before the strongest adventurers in the world, challenging them and giving orders wracked her body with pleasure.

"There's more, my lady."

She turned to him, a blissful smile on her lips.

"More?" she all but gasped, as if the news threatened to drown her.

He nodded again.

"Bell Cranel asked me to give you a message."

"A message? For me? From Bell?" now she was gasping. The thought alone sent shock waves through her. "Tell me."

"He wanted me to tell you that he is already in love with someone else," he began, but quickly continued seeing her smile waver. "However, he did present you with a sort of...challenge."

"Oh?" Freya's eyes screamed for answers.

"He asked that, if you truly loved him, that you prove it. The old-fashioned way, I believe were the words he used. He went so far as to not only include Achilles in his statement, but also to say that, no matter what tricks or threats you use, he will never fall for you unless you win him as a normal woman would."

The glass slipped from Freya's hand as her body shook in rapture. Gasps filled the room as she threw herself against the window, the glass cooling her now burning body.

"H-He's...offering me a challenge," she turned to Ottar. "He's making demands of me. Confronting me," drool slipped down her chin. "No one has ever done that before. No one has ever," she gasped. "No one has ever challenged me to prove my love before. And to prove it as any other woman would. Oooh," her knees nearly gave out beneath her. "Oh, Bell. It's so cruel of you to tease me like this," she said, her hand touching the window. "But it's such a delightful torture, I fear I'm now addicted to it."

Seeing how delighted his goddess now was, Ottar allowed himself a smile. However, he had one more tidbit that he knew she would enjoy.

"There is one more thing I'd like to report, my lady."

"Tell me!" she cried, her head flying to her captain. "Tell me! Tell me!"

"After Bell left, Finn asked Achilles a question. That question was, 'he's the one you think can kill the One-Eyed Black Dragon, isn't he?'"

Freya's knees finally gave out as her eyes widened to an impossible size.

"And what did he say?" she asked, crawling towards Ottar. "What did my Achilles say?!" she begged.

"Not only did he admit that this was indeed what he thought, but he also admitted that he believes Bell is the only one capable of fulfilling the Level Ten Theory."

That was it. That was all Freya could take. Bliss, euphoria, and pleasure overrode her senses and mind, wracking her body with sinful delight until she finally collapsed on the floor.

Ottar decided now was the time to get up and went over to his goddess, gently raising her up.

"Oh. Oh, Ottar. Those two are too much for me," she said, her breath ragged and labored. "They pretend so much that they do not want me, but say and do things like that. How can they not want me to claim them when they make themselves into such delightful morsels?"

"I do not know, my lady. Perhaps they do not fully understand their feelings towards you themselves. Or perhaps they want you to chase after them. Perhaps they know how much it delights you."

"Do you think so? Do you really think that could be true?" she asked, her voice frantic as the idea brought her even further joy.

"Anything is possible, my lady. The two of them are known for surprises."

"Yes they are," she said, turning her head towards the window. "Yes they are."

Things were silent for a moment, the two content to simply bask in their joy. Finally, a new, sly smile came to Freya's lips and she turned to Ottar.

"I think it's about time we had a party. Don't you?"

Ottar didn't even miss a beat.

"I agree, full-heartedly, my lady."

* * *

Whew, that was a process. But, that's the chapter everyone! What'd you think? I hope I was able to fix some of the problems I mentioned earlier while still writing a compelling chapter. However, if I messed up somewhere, please feel free to tell me so that I can fix and improve the story. This chapter was a bit of a challenge trying to correct and improve, but that's what writing is all about. On that note, please favorite, alert, and review the story, I do indeed wish to hear what you think. With that, I bid you all good day and I'll see you all in the next one. Bye for now.


	8. Chapter 8

Hello everyone. Wow! You guys really liked the previous chapter. As of the time of writing this, it is easily the most reviewed of any of the chapters and overwhelming positive in terms of feedback, so thank you very much. Also, this story is now the longest of all my stories, beating out the previous first place, which I will not tell you to read because it was my first story and it REALLY shows. Anywho, I apologize that I this chapter won't be quite as exciting as the last, but I do still hope you will stick around and see where our dear characters take us.

One final note before we begin. I have recently received a few reviews, including a few I admit whose tone I didn't appreciate, that pointed out an unintended issue. That issue was the character list at the bottom of the story summary and how they were not in order of importance. I'd first like to say that, when I created the story, I was thinking along the lines that they were all the main characters and I did not put them in particular order. I did not think about, nor realize that this evidently signifies the order of importance. For that I apologize for any confusion that caused. However, I have now attempted, twice, to correct this issue, only to fail in both attempts. For some reason the system won't recognize the change. So, for now, the characters will remain as they are below the summary, and for that I again apologize. With that out of the way, onto the story.

I do not own Danmachi

* * *

The Loki familia made their way back to their base to relay what had happened in the Dungeon. Most of them were frazzled by all that had transpired, except for two. Bete, who was currently glaring at Aiz, and the Sword Princess herself who maintained her normal, cool temperament the entire way back.

Returning home, Finn was prepared to begin the search for Loki when a collection of feminine screams coming from the direction of the baths caught the group's attention.

Finn sighed.

"Well, that answers that question."

Making their way down the hall, they were met by a collection of female Loki familia members running out of the baths with nothing but towels to cover their modesty. A moment later, Loki herself popped out with an unnerving smile on her face.

"Where y'all going? I just wanted to take your measurements!" she cried, her fingers moving in a most displeasing manner.

Her demeanor changed when she saw the group before her.

"Whatcha y'all doing here? Aren't you supposed to be training in the Dungeon?" she asked.

Finn turned serious.

"Some things happened."

The tone caused Loki to open her eyes a sliver, allowing them to pass over all present, taking careful note of each look, especially the glare that Bete was pointing at an even more stoic Aiz.

"Office," the goddess said, her voice devoid of all playfulness.

The group made their way through the mansion, everyone they passed taking note of their complete seriousness, causing whispers to erupt through the halls. Finally, they arrived and entered the office, each taking their respective places in the room.

"What happened?" Loki demanded once she was behind her desk.

"We went to the Dungeon as planned," Finn began. "Before reaching the tenth floor, the ground suddenly began to shake and an explosion roared through the halls." Loki's interest was peaked. "We soon came across two adventurers who informed us that Ottar and Achilles were fighting on level ten."

Loki practically jumped in her seat.

"The King was fighting the Olympian?"

"Yes. For what reason, we don't know. But they decimated level ten," Finn answered. "Naturally, your orders were at the forefront of our minds," Finn said, his voice having a noticeable bite to it. "We saw an opportunity in the situation. With those two fighting, it wouldn't be too difficult to take advantage of the situation and make it look like they had destroyed themselves fighting, thus eliminating two very powerful rivals."

Loki was now fully out of her seat, leaning over the desk eagerly.

"And? Were you able to?"

Finn stared directly into her eyes when he answered.

"No, we were unable to do so."

Loki fell back in her seat with evident displeasure.

"You should be grateful that we all returned in one piece," Riveria jumped in, a bit of bite in her tone as well. "Things could have easily turned against us. Especially given that Achilles was willing to put aside his hatred for Freya in order to make an alliance with Ottar."

Loki shot up.

"He what?!"

Finn reentered.

"He made a deal with Ottar in exchange for his help in defeating us as both quickly recognized that we weren't there as Achilles's allies."

Loki's hands balled into fists so tight her knuckles turned white as paper.

"Then what happened? Obviously a fight didn't take place."

"A fight was prevented by the arrival of Bell Cranel," Finn stated.

"Chibi's brat?"

Aiz tensed. Her grip on her sword tightening as those words evidently did not sit well with her. No one failed to notice this, and Riveria quickly jumped in again to prevent too many questions or worse yet, an incident.

"I would suggest that you show young Cranel-san and Hestia-sama the utmost respect from now on, Loki-sama, as we are now greatly in their debt."

"Why?" Loki inquired, Aiz's reaction and Riveria's statement both intriquing and worrying her.

"Because it was only with his intervention that a fight was prevented, thus ensuring we all returned here, alive," Riveria continued.

"What, precisely, happened?" the trickster goddess asked.

"Upon his arrival, Bell Cranel quickly realized that something was going on and inquired as to what it was. Upon which time-," Finn paused, not entirely sure if he should proceed.

"Upon which time Aiz decided to spill the beans and tell the rabbit we were planning to kill his shitty protector," Bete finished for him.

"Bete!" Finn growled, glaring at the wolfman who, in turn, simply continued to scowl.

"Wha-?!" Loki turned to Aiz. "Why would you do that Aiz!"

Aiz, her grip on her sword still tight, turned to her.

"Because I disagree with the orders you gave," she said simply.

Loki was speechless. The others, apart from Bete, who growled, remained silent. All of which was fine for Aiz.

"Going after Achilles was a foolish thing to do in the best of circumstances, let alone when we had just allied with the familia in which he is guarding. Attacking him normally would have been a feat, but attacking him without suspicion falling on us would be borderline impossible. A fact you should have, and probably would have recognized if not for your hatred of him."

Loki was flabbergasted. Aiz had always been strong-willed, that was something that Loki loved about her, but she'd never acted like this. This was borderline insubordination.

"You're only saying that because he fought the damn dragon," Bete cut in. "Had it been anyone else, you wouldn't have cared. Or maybe," Bete stalked over to her. "It has something to do with the rabbit."

Aiz made no response, instead simply returning Bete's glare before Finn called out.

"That's enough."

Bete glared at Aiz for another second or two before breaking off and returning to his spot.

"Now," Finn continued. "While it's true that Aiz revealed our intentions, that may have actually worked to our benefit."

"How the hell could that work to our benefit?" Loki asked, still reeling from the recent information.

"Because Cranel-san, upon hearing what transpired between Achilles and us, ordered Achilles to rescind his threat, which he did without complaint," Riveria said.

Loki looked at her disbelievingly.

"Achilles pulled back on his threat?"

Riveria nodded.

"Indeed. And for all intents and purposes, it appeared completely genuine."

"And Hestia's as tall as Ottar," Loki countered.

"It's the truth," Finn said. "Bell-san then ordered me to inform you, that if you wish for this alliance to continue, you will rescind any orders you have against Achilles."

Loki was finding it harder and harder to believe what she was hearing.

"The rabbit threatened me?"

"I'd call it more of a...forceful suggestion," Finn stated.

"Anything else I should know?" Loki said, leaning back into her chair, covering her face with her hands.

"Argonaut-kun made a demand of Freya!" Tiona suddenly cried out.

Everyone turned to the Amazon who looked at them confused.

"What? He did."

"Finn," Loki turned to her captain. "Explain."

"Bell Cranel, after giving his orders to Achilles and myself, walked up to Ottar and officially introduced himself before asking that he give a message to Freya."

"And this message was?"

There was a pause, Finn, Riveria, and Gareth all sharing a look, before the first answered.

"The message was that, while he was honored that she thought so highly of him, he was in love was someone else and thus couldn't return her feelings."

Loki's mouth fell open.

"The kid...rejected...Freya?"

"And it gets even better!" Tiona once again cried out.

"Tiona," Finn sighed. "Please."

She smiled and rubbed the back of her head.

"Sorry, captain."

"However, she's not necessarily wrong," he continued. "After Ottar pointed out that this was of little concern to Freya, Bell went a step further and offered up a challenge to Freya, telling her that, if she truly held such affections for him, that she should prove herself by winning his affections naturally. No Charm or threats."

Loki was floored.

"In all my years," Loki began after a moment, clearly having trouble wrapping her head around all this. "No one. Not a single person. Mortal or god, has ever challenged Freya. Not like this. What is this kid?"

"It gets more interesting," Finn said, taking note that Tiona was practically bouncing as she knew what was coming next, forcing her sister to cover her mouth so she did not blurt it out again. "Apparently Bell Cranel is immune to Charm."

"What?!" Loki jumped out of her chair. "That's impossible!"

"Evidently not. Both Ottar and Achilles confirmed that this is the case, meaning there's really little reason for us to not believe it," Finn pointed out.

Loki fell back in her chair.

"Rapid growth. Challenging Freya. And now immune to Charm. I'm almost jealous of Chibi. Almost," she pointed out. "Any other, crazy information that I should know, especially pertaining to the white rabbit?"

"Achilles believes Bell is the only person capable of killing the One-Eyed Black Dragon," Aiz said, a noticeable, but indescribable energy passing through her.

Loki had had enough. Her head slammed into her desk.

"The rabbit might kill the Dragon?" she said with a muffled voice. "Are you serious?"

"We are. I asked Achilles if Bell was the person he had previously spoken of, and he admitted it readily enough, along with his belief that Bell is the only person who might be able to fulfill the Level Ten Theory."

Things fell silent for a moment. Not even a grumble passed through those present as Loki continued to press her face in her desk. Finally though, she sat back up and, to everyone's surprise, smiled.

"Well, I feel a lot better about this alliance now."

"Really?" Finn asked with evident surprise.

"Yep. Not only is this kid on our side now, but it appears he's actually in control of Achilles, which takes that issue off the table. All in all, with the cards we've been dealt, I'd say that things are pretty good for us."

Tension eased out of the Loki familia, except for one.

"So what? Aiz just gets off scott-free?" Bete asked.

"No. I am mad at Aiz-tan for revealing our plans to the kid, and I'll think up some punishment for her in the future," Loki said. "But given what could have happened, I'm not exactly mad with how things turned out."

Bete growled, but there was little he could do.

"I accept full responsibility for my actions and whatever punishment you deem right," Aiz said with a bow.

"Any punishment?" Loki said, her eyes gaining a noticeable gleam and her fingers moving in an unsettingly manner.

"Any punishment within reason," Aiz clarified, causing Loki to pout.

"Well, with that all out of the way, I think it's time we get back to our duties," Finn said, happy that everything had turned out alright.

"Guess so. I've got to get back to the baths. There's probably a whole new batch of girls in there," Loki said perversely.

Everyone sighed, but all in all, a sense of relief passed over them, all except for two. Aiz Wallenstein, who turned to leave, a certain destination, or more accurately, person in mind; the other, Bete Loga, who had one more question he wanted answered.

"What's the rabbit to you?"

Everyone stopped.

Aiz, whose hand was reaching for the door, turned.

"He's my friend," she replied simply.

"Is that all? Or is there something else to how you feel about him?" Bete continued to push.

As much as some of them wouldn't like to admit it, they were all interested in hearing Aiz's answer to this. Some, for simply curiosity. Others desperate hope for a denial. But for Riveria, it was because she hoped that Aiz's heart was opening up.

"Something else?" Aiz asked, clearly confused.

Rivieria sighed.

Bete scanned her for a moment longer, checking for any hint of a lie. Finding none, he sighed.

"Nevermind, ya clearly don't. Almost makes me feel bad for the kid."

None of this eased Aiz's confusion one bit, but, seeing that he had no more to say, she turned and left the room, leaving her familia behind with a wide array of different feelings about what they had just witnessed.

The Hestia familia, plus one had just finished up in the Guild, a sizable reward in their hands and smiles on their faces.

"You've all done very well today. Once more I find myself thoroughly impressed with all of you," Achilles stated.

"Says the man who tore five minotaurs apart with his bare hands," Welf countered.

"Oh that was hardly impressive. If I couldn't do that at my level then I should retire."

"Even so, it is rather nice to have someone like you watching over us, Achilles-sama," Haruhime chimed in.

"Now now, no 'sama'. Achilles is fine. 'Sama' makes me sound so distant. I'd much rather be on friendly terms with you all. On that note, I suggested to Bell that we go out tonight to celebrate Hestia familia and its future success."

"Well," Lili looked hesitant on this, not because she didn't want to, but because she knew the importance of keeping the familia's finances in order.

"I swear to repay every valis we spend," Achilles offered, seeing her hesitation.

Lili turned to him and, seeing his cheerful eyes looking down on her, she smiled.

"I guess one night isn't so bad."

Every face now beaming, they set off down the street, intent on filling their now rumbling bellies.

As they walked Achilles placed himself next to Bell and whispered to him.

"When would you like to tell them about what happened with Ottar and Loki familia?"

Bell's smile faltered for a moment, but he quickly replied.

"When we get home. That way we can tell everyone at once and not ruin the evening."

Achilles nodded.

"Thank you Bell. I'm sorry I've caused you trouble."

Bell was silent for a moment before responding.

"Do you really hate Loki familia?"

Now it was Achilles who was silent for a moment as he took a deep breath.

"In all honesty, I'm not sure. They used to be my friends. But in a way, that makes the past more painful. I don't want to hate them, I know that. But I can't trust them either, and things like forgiveness, friendship, and love, require trust. That said," he looked at Bell. "I trust you. If, in turn, you trust them, then I'll follow suit. I only ask for time."

Bell returned Achilles's gaze for a moment before his smile returned.

"Things will turn out alright. I promise."

Achilles smiled before ruffling Bell's hair.

"If you say so, then it must be true."

"We're here!"

The two snapped back to reality and Achilles lost his smile.

"The Hostess of Fertility."

"Yes," Bell said, before noticing the look on Achilles's face. "What's wrong?"

The others turned to him as well.

"Bell, are you aware that the woman who runs this establishment, Mia Grande, is the former captain of Freya familia and that at least one of the girls here still does work for her?"

Everyone's eyes widened at this.

"That appears to be a no."

Everyone was silent for a moment, their focus on Bell as they waited to see how he'd react.

"I see. Well, now I know," he said before walking towards the entrance.

"You're not worried?" Achilles asked.

"They haven't done anything to hurt my trust in them. In fact, without their help, not only would I not have gotten this far, but I wouldn't be here right now." Achilles's eyes widened. "So, until they do something to hurt that trust, I'll put my faith in them," Bell responded.

"Hm," Achilles turned to the others. They had similar looks to his own, but they soon shrugged and smiled. If Bell trusted them, that really was good enough for all of them. "Very well," Achilles conceded. "Then let's not waste anymore time out here, my stomach's starting to sound like a minotaur."

They entered the restaurant, quickly gaining the attention of patron and employee alike.

"Bell!" The familia turned to see Syr running towards them. "I'm so happy to see you, and," her eyes briefly glanced at Achilles before turning back to Bell. "How are you?"

"Hello to you too, Syr. Things have been fine. As you can see we have an addition to our group. This is Achilles Caesar."

"We've met," Achilles said. "When I first arrived here they provided me some...helpful, information."

Syr smiled, though there was a distinct nervousness in her features. She wasn't the only one nervous. Ryuu and the others all had their hands in their aprons, and the patrons all looked ready to book it if things went south.

"Achilles! You're making everyone nervous!" Mia cried out.

The former Zeus captain smiled.

"I would certainly hope so, else I'd figure I was losing my edge. But, I'll try and tone it down," he conceded. "Tonight we're just a group of customers with empty stomachs and full purses."

"_Tonight?"_ Mia noted.

"Well then sit down! Syr will get you your menus," she stated.

"This way," the gray-haired young lady said, her smile now fully beaming.

"Thank you," Bell said once they were all seated and handed their menus.

One by one they ordered, ending with Achilles.

"I'll take the most expensive thing on your menu," he said. Seeing the weird looks he was getting he said. "It's so that Mia will forgive me."

Not up for pushing things further than that, the Hestia familia accepted his answer and waited for their food.

"So, what have you been up to lately, Bell?" Syr said, latching onto his arm. This in turn earned the ire of Lili and the displeasure of Haruhime, who looked at her with unwelcoming eyes. Bell however, simply smiled.

"Well, things have been a bit hectic the last few days. Quite a lot's happened. I'm not even sure to begin with."

"Does that have something to do with him?"

Everyone turned to see Ryuu standing near them, a tray of drinks in her hands, but her eyes glaring down at Achilles.

"Partly," Achilles responded. "But I'm certainly not the only causing him trouble."

"You're not causing me trouble, Achilles," Bell said, not failing to notice the tension. "If anything I'm very grateful for all your help."

Achilles smiled.

"Well then I'll work to ensure that doesn't change."

Though both waitresses still very much had their misgivings, seeing that Bell clearly trusted the man, they decided to drop the matter, though Ryuu vowed to keep her eyes on him. She didn't care if Achilles was a level seven or a legend, she would protect Bell to the best of her abilities if push came to shove.

The conversation continued over the next hour, with significantly less tension and far more smiles as the adventurers filled their bellies.

"So you're familia is going to try and recruit again?" Syr asked.

"Yes. Obviously everyone knows about our debt now, but with Achilles here, hopefully people will reconsider," Bell answered.

This caused a question to pop into Syr's head and she turned to Achilles.

"Are you planning to join Hestia familia?"

Things got a little quieter as the members of said familia, and more than a few ears around them, focused on the ex-captain.

Achilles rubbed his chin.

"I honestly hadn't thought of that. I can't say that I will. I am still very attached to my familia, even if its days are long gone." A melocolic, yet understanding feeling fell over the table. "However," Achilles continued. "I wouldn't say that's completely out of the question. This is the closest I've felt to having a family in fifteen years. So," he shrugged. "Who's to say?"

Bell was absolutely beaming, and he was soon joined by the rest of his familia. They wouldn't push him, of course, but all of them would be more than happy to welcome the elder adventurer into the party.

"Though, now I'm wondering how Hestia's doing on the recruiting front. I imagine she's having a difficult time of it. Even with me here, recruiting people will likely be a mind-numbing task. Believe me, I still remember going through dozens of applications a day, and it was worse after we completed some feat or adventure that got the public's attention. I swear, one day we got close to a thousand applicants and let me tell you, there's not enough alcohol in the world to go through a thousand applicants in a single night," he actually growled. "Wouldn't have been so bad if Zeus hadn't decided to 'go for a walk' right before we began. Let me ask all of you. Anyone here ever taken a twelve hour walk where you come back smelling quite heavily of perfume?"

Numerous sweat drops could be scene around the table. Bell, perhaps as an avatar for what should have been his grandfather's embarrassment, blushed and hid his head.

"Bah! Wretched old fart. Ah, but the past is the past. We need to focus on the present and future," Achilles declared. "So, how about it Flova-san? You know anyone who might be looking for a new home?"

Syr was surprised at the sudden question. She knew she was under suspicion from Achilles, so to be addressed by him at all was a bit shocking. However, she quickly noticed the look in his eyes. He was testing her. Seeing if her intentions were pure, or whether she was merely a puppet for her mistress.

"Well," she paused as someone did come to mind. "There is...one person I can think of who might be willing to join your familia."

Everyone turned their attention to her in interest. She knew they were waiting for a name, but she couldn't say it. Instead she turned her eyes towards her target.

Achilles turned his head and his eyes narrowed.

"Ah," he said as his eyes fell on the blonde elf.

The others quickly followed suit in figuring out who she was talking about.

"Do you think she'll agree?" Lili asked.

"She did help us with the War Games," Welf pointed out.

"And she joined with Bell when he went down to the Dungeon to...deal with those Irregulars," Mikoto said.

Achilles noticed the pause from the Easterling, knowing that there was information he currently didn't have. However, he decided not to press it. If they needed to keep it a secret that was their business as a familia. Instead he turned to Bell.

"Do you trust her?"

Bell turned to him. After a moment, he nodded.

"Yes. Very much so."

"Hm. Well, then there's no harm in asking. Having another level four in the familia certainly wouldn't hurt."

Bell gave him another nod, before getting up and following after Ryuu, who had walked into the back.

"Come on. Just one night. You don't want all of Orario knowing who you really are, do you?" the man said, an unnerving smile plastered on his lips.

Ryuu felt disgust run through her veins.

"If you want company for the night, I'd suggest the red light district," she growled.

"Now why would I spend money on girls, most of whom aren't as half as pretty as you, when I can get you entirely free?"

Another growl passed by Ryuu's lips.

"Ryuu?"

The two froze before turning to the unexpected intrusion.

"What's going on?" Bell asked.

"Nothing that concerns you, rabbit," the man growled.

"One of my friends is in distress. I'd say that concerns me. Now," Bell's hand fell to his knife. "I suggest you unhand her."

"Oh ho, look at who's trying to be a hero again," the man said, letting go of Ryuu and turning to Bell.

"It's alright Cranel-san. I've got this," Ryuu said.

"No, no. He wanted to intrude on our private time, so now he has to learn. Tell me, Ra-bbit Foot," he said condescendingly. "Do you know who she is? What she's done?"

"I do," Bell said without hesitation.

That surprised the man, but only for a moment, and he soon snarled at Bell.

"Bullshit. If you'd known you would have turned her in long ago."

"I'm not a liar."

This only made the man angrier.

"Then that means you're an accomplice. Aiding and protecting a criminal. I wonder how everyone will look at you when they find out you're protecting criminals. I don't think your reputation will be able to come back after that."

"Leave him out of this!" Ryuu demanded, not loud enough for anyone but a certain keen-eared adventurer to hear and gain his attention. "This is my burden and he doesn't have anything to do with this, so leave him be."

"Sorry darling," the man said with a disgusting smile. "But he brought this on himself. It's time this little monster fetish freak learns hi-."

He never finished his sentence as a mass of furious adventurer suddenly grabbed him by his face and slammed him into the wall.

"Care to repeat that?" Achilles growled, his hand clenching the man's skull hard enough for hairline cracks to form.

The man desperately tried to remove the hand from his face, giving off muffled cries of pain, with no success.

"Achilles!" Bell cried. "It's okay. Let him go."

"After what he just called you?!" Achilles cried, shock painted on his features.

"It's alright," Bell said gently. "I can take it."

Achilles growled. He couldn't deny a plea from the snow-haired young man, but that didn't mean he wanted to let the bastard go. Finally, after glaring at the man for just a bit longer, and squeezing his head just a bit harder, he released.

"Gah!" the man screamed, grabbing his head. "Who do you think you are?!" he cried.

"I'm the one looking after the boy you just viciously insulted," Achilles snarled, silently hoping the man would try something stupid.

"Then maybe, ah," the man grabbed his head. "Maybe you'd like to know he's protecting a murderer!"

By this point everyone in the restaurant was focused solely on the commotion, and more than a few eyes widened at this proclamation, and a gasp erupted from Syr.

Achilles's eyes lowered.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"That elf?!" the man said, pointing at Ryuu. "Killed off an entire familia. The Guild even put an 80,000,000 valis bounty on her head!"

Everyone, except Achilles, turned to the elf, who now had her head bowed.

Achilles glared at the man for a moment longer before finally turning to Ryuu.

"Is this true?"

Ryuu, unable to find any words, only nodded causing the man to smile predatorily.

Achilles stared at her for a moment longer before turning to Bell.

"Did you know?"

Bell looked him directly in the eyes when he answered.

"Yes."

Achilles nodded.

"Then, firstly," he punched the man in the face, knocking him out. "Secondly," he grabbed the gemstone he had previously offered Aisha and tossed it to Mia who caught it. "That's for the meal tonight and because thirdly," he pointed at Ryuu. "You're coming with me."

The Hostess of Fertility fell silent and worry began to eat at the hearts of Bell, Hestia familia, and all the workers of the establishment, Mia included.

"Achilles," Bell tried, only for the level seven to hold up his hand.

"Trust me, Bell."

That's what the Hestia captain wanted to do, but he couldn't honestly say he wasn't worried.

"It's alright Cranel-san," Ryuu said, trying her best to give him a reassuring smile. "This is what I deserve."

"That has yet to be seen," Achilles stated. "Now, come. I don't want to find a bunch of empty desks at the Guild. That'll only make this more of a hassle."

The statement set off alarm bells around the restaurant and suddenly all the other waitresses, minus Syr, jumped in front of him.

"We're not going to let you take her!" Chloe cried, the others quickly nodding, all the while glaring at Achilles.

"Everyone," Ryuu said, stepping forward. "Please. I don't want anyone to get hurt. And you wouldn't be able to stop him anyway," she said with certainty.

"But with Mama-," Chloe said, looking towards her matron. Mia looked at her for a moment, before sighing and shaking her head. The catgirl's ears dropped.

"Thank you for everything," Ryuu said with a sad smile. She turned to Mia. "I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused," she said with a bow.

"What trouble?" Mia scoffed. "Skipping out on a day or two of work isn't anything major. At least you gave me a warning before you did it," the ex-captain said.

Ryuu continued to smile until she turned to Syr.

"I owe you so much, I'm sorry I won't be able to repay it."

Syr suddenly threw herself at Ryuu, wrapping her in a hug.

"You don't owe me anything. You needed help, and I wanted to help you. That's what friends do."

Tears welled up in Ryuu's eyes, choking her. However, she still had the ability to move and so wrapped her arms around Syr and tightly squeezed the girl.

"Achilles," Bell said, the display causing a knife to enter his heart.

"Trust me, Bell," was the only response.

The two held each other for a solid minute before finally breaking apart. Ryuu then turned to Achilles and nodded.

"I'm ready."

She was surprised when Achilles rolled his eyes.

"You all don't know me very well," he said, before walking out of the establishment with a quick wave for her to follow.

Achilles, Ryuu, and the entire Hestia familia made their way through the darkened streets of Orario, gaining more than a few curious onlookers who wondered what was going on. This only made Bell and the rest of his familia feel worse as they didn' t want any more damage to be done to the friend who had helped them on so many occasions. Achilles and Ryuu, however, completely ignored the stares, focusing only on their destination and what was to come.

Finally, the Guild came within sight, and everyone but Achilles felt their heart begin to race.

"Achilles," Bell pleaded one final time. This time, Achilles didn't look at him, or even stop walking, he just ruffled his hair and said.

"Trust me, Bell."

"Ah, I think that's about the last of it," Eina said, stretching her arms over her head.

"You're going to jinx yourself," Misha said.

"Everyone's gone home, Misha. What could possibly happen now?"

The pink-haired young lady's eyes suddenly caught sight of something that provided the answer.

"Maybe, that," she said, pointing.

Eina turned and found the Hestia familia, all looking exceedingly worried, crowded behind Achilles and Ryuu, the latter of which, had her head down.

"Evening ladies," Achilles said calmly, walking up to them.

"E-Evening," Eina greeted. Misha was far too alarmed by the presence of the man she now knew to be one of, if not the most powerful adventurer in the city. "H-How," she cleared her throat. "How can I help you?"

"Would you mind getting your superior for me? I don't want some stupid issue to come up with what comes next."

"Uh," Eina's eyes darted to Bell, who seemed barely able to meet her eyes. A fact that did nothing to ease her discomfort.

"It...may take a while."

"That's fine," he replied.

Eina quickly disappeared, hoping to find her superior as quickly as possible in order to discover what was going on.

Achilles turned and took a seat, crossing his arms and waiting patiently for Eina to return.

The Hestia familia, meanwhile, were completely lost. Worry and anxiety ate at them and none knew what to do.

"Should you order him to stand down, Bell-sama?" Lili asked.

"I don't think he'll listen to me," he responded, sparing a glance at his fellow captain. "He just kept telling me to trust him."

"Kind of hard to do that at the moment," Welf said. "We have no idea what's going through his head. I don't know what's the deal with Ryuu, but I'm not comfortable with the idea of turning her in."

The others readily agreed with this, but that didn't make matters any easier.

"Is he, perhaps, after the reward?" Haruhime offered. "He did offer to help Hestia pay off her debt."

"That might be-," Mikoto began.

"No."

They all turned to Achilles who simply pointed to his ear, not even sparing them a glance.

As confusion ate at the familia, Bell's focus turned to Ryuu who was now refusing to look anywhere but the ground. Not willing to let things remain like that, he walked up to her, putting on the best smile he could.

"Things will be alright. Achilles isn't the kind of person to go after a reward. He was the captain of Zeus familia afterall."

He hoped his words would reassure her, or at least, surprise her out of her stupor, but all he got was a nod.

"I know. He visited the Hostess of Fertility a short time ago. He said he was looking for you and, because of that, I tried to attack him."

A stone sank into Bell's stomach.

"I have no reason to expect anything from Caesar-san, nor do I deserve it. This is what I-."

She was stopped by a chop to the head.

She and Bell turned to Achilles who had suddenly appeared next to them.

"Stop being dumb," he demanded.

Before she could make a reply, Eina returned, Royman Mardeel following after her looking very annoyed.

"What is the meaning of this!" the elf demanded.

"Grumpy as ever I see, Royman," Achilles said, walking over to the counter.

"Achilles! I heard you were back in town. Here to cause more trouble I see. And how dare you address me so informally!"

"I'll address you more politely when you're worthy of being addressed respectfully. Now," Achilles continued, not allowing the enraged elf to interrupt. "I believe there is a bounty on a certain elf who killed an entire familia? Is that correct?"

The Hestia familia was frozen as fear sank into their souls.

"Well...yes. I seem to recall an incident such as that. A rogue adventurer who used all manner of traps and devious methods to destroy a familia. Admittedly it was an Evilus, but that's besides the point."

"Huh, that actually makes this easier," Achilles said. "Did she happen to look something like that?" he said pointing his thumb at Ryuu.

Royman and Eina turned to the blonde elf and, after a moment, the former's eyes widened.

"That's her! Gale!"

Bell and the others felt ready to collapse at his recognizing of Ryuu, but were still frozen in indecisiveness. Bell was naturally having the worst of it as he was stuck between trusting his mentor and protecting his friend.

"Good," Achilles said calmly. "Then I want you to put a pause on her bounty."

The room went deadly silent as everyone, from Royman to Welf, Bell to Ryuu herself, slowly turned their heads to Achilles.

"Pardon?" Royman demanded.

"I seem to recall that the Guild offered those with bounties the chance to have them removed by paying them off. Naturally though, for those with higher bounties, they would need time to acquire the necessary funds. As such, the idea of 'pausing' a bounty, was presented. I'm telling you to put a pause on Ryuu here's bounty so I can have time to gather the necessary funds to pay it off."

Instantly all the fear and anxiety was lifted from the shoulders of the Hestia familia, each one actually gasping as they suddenly were able to take a breath again.

"Y-You want to pay it off?! I seem to recall that hers was an exceedingly high bounty," Royman countered.

"80,000,000, from what I hear," Achilles replied calmly.

"And how long do you expect us to put it on hold?! Especially when the culprit is in our sights!"

Achilles began to count on his fingers and appeared to be doing math in his head.

"Four...no, I think I can do it in three days."

Everyone's jaws dropped.

"Y-You're going to collect 80,000,000 valis in three days?" Royman asked in disbelief.

"Four max," Achilles replied. "So, put it on hold for now."

With that, he turned back to Hestia familia.

"Looks like we're going to put off your training for the next few days, but that's alright, it'll give me more time to think of a training regime and for you guys to prepare yourselves."

None of them could find the words to respond until Bell finally snapped out of his stupor.

"Achilles...are you actually going to pay off Ryuu's bounty?"

"Of course. Did you really think I was going to turn her in?"

"Can you really blame us?" Lili asked.

Achilles shrugged.

"Bell said he trusted her. That's good enough for me. However," he turned to the dumbstruck Ryuu. "There is something you're going to do for me in return."

She snapped out of her stupor, though her eyes remained wide.

"W-What?" she asked.

"Well, seeing how Hestia familia is looking for new members, you will join Hestia familia and work to protect it from all harm, whether that harm be from monsters, crazy goddesses, or the common cold. Am I understood?"

Again, things were silent as no one knew how to respond, presenting the possibility for Royman to cut in.

"Excuse me, we aren't don-!"

"Shut up," Achilles commanded. "Do we have a deal?" he asked Ryuu again.

Finally, once the wheels in her head began to fully understand the situation, Ryuu's face finally dropped the shocked look and replaced it with the smiling, teary-eyed look of someone awash in utter relief.

"Yes," she said as the tears began to stream down her face. "Yes, I understand."

Bell and the others, now smiling themselves, began to comfort and welcome her into their familia, which only caused more tears to spill from her eyes.

"Good," Achilles replied. "I'll be back in three days," he said to Royman. "So you, my greedy little piggy," the elf's face turned neon red. "Will just sit here and wait for me to return with the money. Make any move against Ryuu or her new familia and I'll bring the Pantheon down on your head. Understand?" Royman opened his mouth. "Good."

Done with the fat elf, Achilles turned back to the Hestia familia.

"Now, while I'm gone, you all need to be on high alert. With me busy, I can't protect you from Freya," that sobered the mood a bit, but not enough to ruin it. "I'll ask that you don't go to the Dungeon while I'm away, just for extra safety. I'll do my best to not only bring in enough for Ryuu's bounty, but also pay off some of Hestia's debt, as I promised I would." They smiled at him. "On that note, Bell," he turned to the young man. "Please give Hestia-sama my apologies for everything that happened today." Bell, recognizing he wasn't just talking about the current situation with Ryuu, lost his smile, but nodded. This did not go unnoticed by the others, but they figured that they would soon learn what that all meant. "All that said, I do encourage you all to keep training. Try and figure out your weak points and where you can improve your current skills. With Ryuu-san here now, you have another person who can help you advance and get stronger." Everyone nodded, including Ryuu. "Finally, Bell, I want you to continue the mental training we did. I know it was stressful, but I do think it will help you." Bell nodded. "You'll find the store with the vials on Sword Street. It'll be the one with the bouquet of flowers sign hanging outside. Just ask for their 'good stuff.'" It took Bell a moment to realize what he meant, when he did, his eyes widened and he nodded vigorously. This greatly increased his familia's curiosity of what this 'mental training' was, but somehow they all knew that they weren't going to get answers out of Bell, recent promise be damned.

"Alright," Achilles said clapping his hand. "I should get started. Lili, if you would be so kind as to provide me with a few snacks for the road and maybe a potion or two, that would be greatly appreciated."

Lili readily handed the requested items to him, smiling all the while.

"Well, I'll see you all in a few days. By then I expect you all to be ready for some real training, and I expect you," he said pointing to Ryuu. "To have a hearth burning brightly on your back."

Ryuu, now no longer crying, but still smiling widely, nodded.

"Good. Now, it's time for you all to go home, explain things to Hestia, then get some well earned sleep, and it's time for me to kill some monsters."

* * *

And done. Whew, sorry that took me so long to finish guys, it's just I was trying to figure out how precisely I wanted to do this chapter. In fact, like some other chapters, it turned out to be even longer than planned and I'm actually having to split a chapter again. Hopefully though, that only makes you happier and more excited. I certainly hope that's the case. Anyway, I know this one wasn't as exciting as the previous chapter, but rest assured, I will be doing my utmost best to rectify that in the next chapter. On that note, please: alert, favorite, and review. I do read what you have to say, though if you flame me you may only receive a telepathic growl and/or angry face. With that said, thank you again for reading and I'll see you all next time. Bye for now.


	9. Chapter 9

Hello good people, I'm back with another chapter of Heroes for you. I'm glad you all seem to still be enjoying this story and I promise to continue to do my best to keep your attention. On that note, I just really wanted to give a shout out to H3ctic who gave me perhaps the kindest, most generous review last chapter. I was honestly extremely touched by it and so simply wanted to thank them again as well as encourage all of you to check out their channel/story.

With that, I think it's time to get back to our story and see what all our dear characters are up to. So let's get to it shall we?

I do not own Danmachi

* * *

Achilles had been delving deeper and deeper into the Dungeon for the past few hours. If he wanted to gather 80 million valis worth of magic stones, he would have to delve deep into its bowls and have his way with the monsters on the lower levels. He was making good time as he was now at level 30.

"Hm?" his attention was caught by some movement around him. He watched as a group of moderately sized dragons appeared around him and began to glare down at him with evident rage and hunger.

"Hello gentlemen," he said with a smile. "It appears it's not your lucky day." The monsters growled at him. "After all," his grip on his sword tightened. "I...**really...hate...dragons.**"

* * *

After everything that had happened at the Guild, the Hestia familia, plus their soon-to-be newest member, made their way through the city streets, smiling unreservedly and happily chatting away. Ryuu who had a radiant smile threatening to fix itself permanently to her face was trying her best not to cry anymore for, even if they were happy tears, she was a tad embarrassed to be showing so much emotion. However, it appeared that the Hestia familia was intent on keeping the tears flowing as they continued to talk about how excited and overjoyed they were that she was joining their familia and wouldn't be in trouble with the Guild anymore.

"It's all," they all stopped when she began to speak. "It's all so much to take in. I've had to hide my identity for years and now, suddenly, I won't have to do that anymore. And all thanks to someone I held nothing but animosity for only a few hours ago. It's all…" she choked as more happy tears streamed down her face. "It's all so much to take in. Are you sure that you want me in your familia?"

"I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we're very happy with the idea of you joining us, Ryuu," Bell said smiling. "We all make mistakes, that's nothing to be ashamed of. And as for Achilles, he might be a little rough around the edges when you first meet him, but you soon find that he's one of the best, most loyal people you could ever meet."

"I think I'm beginning to understand that."

"All that being said," Lili suddenly cut in. "We expect you to give us the whole truth of what happened in your past, including this part about you 'destroying a familia'."

Ryuu nodded.

"I will tell you everything."

Lili nodded.

"Good."

The familia returned to Hearthfire manor only to find Miach standing outside the main entrance.

"Miach-sama? What are you doing outside?" Bell asked.

"Ah, Bell. Well, I was actually waiting for you all to return."

"You were?" Bell asked, clearly confused.

"Yes. You see, while we were watching your home for the day, Aiz Wallenstein suddenly showed up asking for you."

"A-Aiz-san?!" Bell cried.

Miach nodded.

"Hestia has been trying to get her to explain further. Indeed, she's been grilling her quite relentlessly, Naza's barely been able to keep her restrained." Everyone sweat-dropped. "However, Aiz-san has stubbornly refused to say anything else besides that she wishes to speak to you, Bell-san," he finished.

A silence fell over the group, each of them giving Bell a look, hoping to discern if he had any idea what she could want. But he didn't. Not really. The only thing that seemed likely was that it had something to do with what happened earlier that day. Whatever the case, it was little use to stay out here and speculate.

"Well, I guess we should go inside and find out what she wants," he finally said.

They made their way inside and we're quickly greeted by the sound of Hestia shouting.

"For the last time, what do you want with my Bell-kun?!"

"Hestia-sama, please calm down," Naza pleaded, her voice sounding absolutely exhausted.

"Sheesh, she's so loud," Lili said.

Bell however, said nothing, anxiousness entering his heart as he and the others strode into the adjoining room.

"We're back, Hestia," Bell said, his eyes unable to resist quickly looking at Aiz.

"Bell-kun!" Hestia cried, rushing over to him. "Aiz Wallen-whatsit, said she wanted to talk to you, but won't tell me what about."

Bell nodded.

"Miach-sama told me," he replied before turning back to Aiz. "Good evening Aiz-san."

She stood up and bowed.

"Evening Bell. I was hoping to talk to you," then, noting the many other people there, she added. "Alone."

That did not sit well with any of them, least of all the ladies who held certain affections for the young rabbit.

"As if!" Hestia cried. "Achilles, remove her immediately!"

When no reply came, she turned and found that Achilles was not there, but Ryuu was.

"Some things happened today. I'll explain everything later," Bell stated. "We can talk in the courtyard," he said to Aiz.

No one seemed pleased by this, least of all Hestia and Lili, but Bell quickly held up his hands to calm them.

"If Aiz says she just wants to talk, she just wants to talk," he said gently.

Luckily Welf, deciding to act on his role as big brother, stepped in to help him, though he was no more pleased about the current situation than any of them.

"We'll explain to Hestia what happened with Achilles and Ryuu while you two talk."

Bell gave him a small smile and his thanks before refocusing on Aiz.

"This way."

Aiz nodded and followed after him. A few noises of complaint followed after them as Hestia and Lili tried to prevent their 'talk', only for Welf and Mikoto to prevent them and begin the process of trying to calm them.

* * *

Bell and Aiz made their way into the magic stone lit courtyard. When they were deep enough inside to be sure of privacy, Bell turned to her, his cheeks red and having a hard time looking her in the eye as the idea of her wanting to talk to him ran amok in his head. One particular thought, a desperate hope that he didn't dare to even think, quietly whispered in the back of his mind.

"S-So, Aiz-san. What did you want to talk to me about?"

"It's more of a question I have for you."

"O-Oh? What is it? If it's something I can answer, I'll be happy to answer," he said, doing his best to smile.

"How do you grow so quickly?"

Bell was struck dumb. But, after a moment, long enough for disappointment to fill his soul, he realized he shouldn't have been. This question had come up before, and now that he knew not only that he was, unquestionably, growing quickly, but also knew her ambition, he couldn't say he was surprised.

"Does this have something to do with the One-Eyed Black Dragon?"

Surprise colored Aiz's features, but only for a moment, before she nodded.

"Yes. It is my desire to kill that monster. To take revenge for what it did to me and my family. So when Achilles-san said that he believed you were the only person capable of killing it, I knew I had to speak to you."

Bell's eyes widened to such an extent that they looked like they might pop out of his head.

"H-He thinks I could kill it?"

"He didn't tell you?" she asked. He shook his head. "Well, yes. He said that he believes you are the only person that might be able to pull it off. Not him. Not the King. Not Finn. And," a noticeable look of pain entered her eyes. "Not me," her eyes hardened. "Only you. So, I want to know why. How are you able to grow so quickly? Where does your strength come from? How can you surpass everyone?"

"I-I'm not that great," he said, trying to avoid the question. However, one look at Aiz's serious eyes, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to, causing him to sigh. "I told you that it's because I have someone I'm trying to catch up to."

"But that's not the only reason is it?" Aiz asked, a hint of desperation entering her voice as she took a step closer. "I am also trying to catch up to someone, but I don't grow as quickly as you." Another step towards him. "You've advanced to level four in less than half a year." Another step. "There's something else isn't there? A reason for your growth?"

She was now right in front of him, her face now showing a desperation that Bell didn't like seeing on the girl who had won his heart and, in all honesty, kind of frightened him.

"A-Aiz-san."

Snapping out of her trance, Aiz took a step back, but couldn't muster any words for a few seconds.

"Please, Bell. I ask as your friend. Please, tell me how you're growing so fast."

The word 'friend' squeezed Bell's heart so painfully that it felt like it would burst. Any delusion that he might have had previously when she first arrived were now utterly shattered, and a desperate need to flee filled him. However, he knew he still had to answer her. He also knew he couldn't lie to her, even if he had wanted to. Yet, he also needed to protect the secret of his skill. Even if he trusted Aiz, she might let it out unintentionally or be compelled, in one form or another, to tell her familia. All of this weighed heavily on him as he tried to figure out how best to proceed.

Aiz knew she was putting him in a tough position. Quite frankly it was unfair of her to make this demand. She knew that, but she was desperate. Before her was the person who, according to the one person who had ever fought the Dragon and lived, might be able to kill the monster. Part of her was thrilled by this. Another part hated the idea. She had worked all her life towards the goal of killing that beast. Of avenging her father and rescuing her mother and yet, here was this brand new adventurer, not even in Orario for a year, rising impossibly fast through the ranks and quite possibly becoming the person that would one day kill the creature. It made her feel happy and hollow at the same time. To know that the Dragon's days might very well be numbered, but that it was someone else that would strike the blow. She tried to take solace in the fact that it was someone she knew. Someone she trusted and had become close to, but, in a way, that made it even worse. She had trained him. Helped his rise. Protected him. Yet here he was, possibly taking her vengeance from her. As much as she hated herself for it, that made her angry. It made her jealous.

"You remember what I said to Ottar today."

She was pulled from her thoughts when Bell spoke again. She looked into his eyes and her breath caught in her throat. Previously his eyes held a spark to them that was stunning to behold. Sometimes it was blazing, like when he fought the minotaur. Other times it was a slow burn, like when they had trained together. But now, that spark, that light which seemed to radiate from him was gone. Extinguished, leaving only a tired, burnt out husk in its wake.

"I-I...do," she finally managed.

"There's someone I love. Someone who means more to me then I could ever put into words," he continued, his voice unnaturally stoic. "I want so desperately to catch up to her, to be worthy of her that I push myself harder and harder to reach her. To stand next to her. To show her I'm a man. That I'm worthy of her." She watched as tears filled his eyes and a sad smile appeared on his face. "I just want her to look at me the same way I look at her."

Aiz was speechless. The desperation in his voice was overpowering. She understood that this was his life goal. This was as important to him as killing the Dragon was to her. That truth shook her to her core. She wanted to say something, anything, in response to this goal. This needed end. It deserved that much. Words of encouragement. Friendly statements and warm feelings. And, most of all, they needed the person, this 'she' whom he spoke of, to respond, and to return all his feelings in kind. This is what she thought, but no where in the mind of Aiz Wallenstein did she recognize just who this 'she' was. Thus she could not answer.

"So you see, Aiz," Bell continued, unaware of her internal struggle. "That's why I advance so quickly. Because I have to catch up to her. To be worthy of her. I've never wanted anything as much as I want her. That's why I have to keep pushing myself further and further. For her."

Things fell silent in the courtyard, the only sound being that of Bell's tears slipping from his chin and hitting the ground with a miserably quiet, yet all too audible, 'plop'.

They stayed like this for some time, far too long in their minds, when Aiz, not knowing what else to do, finally backed away.

"I see," she bowed. "I apologize, Bell-san. I hope you will forgive me for my intrusion," she turned and began to walk away as quickly as possible without running.

"Aiz!" She stopped and turned. "It was nice to see you," he said, giving her the best smile he could muster.

Her heart skipped a beat, causing her to grab her breastplate. She didn't know it, but Bell was pushing all his feelings into his words and smile, hoping beyond hope that she would feel what was in his heart and understand just how much she meant to him.

She stared at him for a long time. The effect of his words and smile taking their toll on her. Soon, though neither of them saw it, a dusting of red covered her cheeks.

"I-It was good to see you too, Bell," she said, her voice shaky for a reason utterly beyond her comprehension. What she did comprehend was the feeling of her body weakening the longer she looked at his smile and the more his words bounced in her mind. "Good night," she quickly declared, bowing again before turning and making a hasty retreat from the manor.

The moment she disappeared, Bell's smile dropped, soon followed by his body as his knees gave out and fell to the ground. The tears soon after returned to his eyes.

He looked up at the night sky, the tears now flooding down his cheeks and dripping onto the stone below with deafening crashes.

"I love you, Aiz."

* * *

Bell stayed like that for some time, waiting for his tears to stop. When they finally did, he slowly got up and wiped his eyes to begin the process of making himself presentable. He didn't want Hestia or the others to ask him about his now much redder eyes, tears stains, or distraught appearance. He knew he didn't have long to do this as the others would be wondering why he wasn't returning now that Aiz was gone. So, doing his best, he cleaned himself up, took as many deep breaths as he dared to, before heading back inside.

"Bell-kun," Hestia called when he reentered, going up to him. "What took you so long?" she asked immediately. "Aiz Wallen-whatsit left some time ago."

Putting on the best smile he could, making sure to close his eyes, he replied.

"I'm sorry, Hestia. I just felt like staying outside for a little longer."

It wasn't a lie. He had felt like staying outside, but the reason certainly wasn't a reason for smiling.

Hestia, naturally, detected that something was wrong, but didn't know what precisely it was.

"Did something happen with, Aiz Wallen-blah? If she did anything I'll-!"

"No, no, Hestia, everything was fine. She was just asking me about something that happened with Achilles today. That's all."

"Does this have something to do with what the others told me involving Ryuu?" she asked.

"Not really. But, let's go sit down. It's probably best if I explain to everyone."

Hestia was still uneasy about the state Bell was in, and wanted to press the issue, but she feared that if she pushed him now, she might cause a reaction that she didn't want to see.

"Alright. Let's go sit down."

Bell's relief was plain to see, but she let it slide, at least for now.

The two joined the others and sat down together with Lili quickly taking his other side.

"We told Hestia what happened and Ryuu explained her past to us."

Bell turned to Ryuu who, though she looked tired from her explanation, smiled and gave him a nod, signifying that she had been accepted.

Bell's smile finally turned genuine and he turned to all his familia who each gave him a smile and nod showing their support.

"I'm glad everything worked out," he said, smiling brightly.

"Quite," Hestia said. "But now it's time you told me us what the Sword Princess wanted and then explain what happened with Achilles earlier today."

Bell's smile faltered, a fact that no one missed, but he quickly recovered and began.

"Well, they're kind of connected, so it's probably best that I begin with Achilles and what happened in the Dungeon. But, before I begin, I should say that Achilles was fully intent on telling all of you, and he apologizes for what happened."

That made everyone a bit nervous.

"Alright, Bell. I think you have our full attention," Hestia said.

* * *

Aiz ran all the way home. Her heart was threatening to beat out of her chest and that had nothing to do with the current physical exertion. Seeing the Loki mansion in the distance she actually called on her magic to finish journey.

"Tempest!"

Within moments she was back within familia walls, practically smashing her way inside, catching the attention of none other than Tiona and Tione.

"Aiz?" Tiona called, seeing her current state. "Are you alright?"

Aiz wanted to respond, but her heart was still beating erratically, causing her to grab her breast plate again.

"I...I don't know," she answered.

The words mixed with the sight of Aiz grabbing at her chest alarmed the sisters and they rushed over to her.

"Did something happen? Were you attacked?" Tione asked.

"No. I-I-."

"What's going on?"

The three turned to see Riveria walking into the room.

"Something's wrong with Aiz!" Tiona cried.

Rivieria quickly turned to Aiz and noticed her current state, namely the hand over her heart.

Rushing over to her, Riveria began her own questions.

"What happened?"

"I-I went to the Hestia familia home to talk to Bell," Aiz began.

"So that's where you went," the elf said.

"Did Achilles do something to you?! I knew we couldn't trust that guy!" Tione said, looking ready for a fight.

"No," Aiz quickly said, shaking her head. "He wasn't there."

Tione calmed down, though now her anxiousness returned.

"You went to Hearthfire manor to speak to Bell Cranel. Did you find him?" Riveria asked.

Aiz nodded.

"And, what did you talk about?"

Aiz fell silent. She looked like she wanted to say something, but seemed ill-at-ease to say it out loud. Noticing this, Riveria's next course of action was simple.

"Come with me," she said.

Aiz followed after, the Amazon sisters looking ready to do the same when Riveria turned to them.

"Just Aiz," she said.

The two shared a worried look, but nodded nonetheless. If there was one person that was good to talk to, it was Loki familia's Mama.

The two walked through the mansion until they came upon Aiz's room. The two entered, Riveria knowing full well she wasn't going to find anything embarrassing in the room that Aiz would want kept private, before sitting down on the bed and signalling for Aiz to do the same.

"So, you talked with Bell Cranel," Riveria restarted.

Aiz nodded.

"About what?"

Aiz was silent for a moment, which was fine with Riveria. She knew how to patient with the girl.

"I asked him how he grows so quickly."

"I see. You've asked him that before haven't you?" Aiz nodded. "I'm guessing this time it's because of what Achilles said?"

Aiz nodded again.

"No one has made it as far as he has so quickly. Level four is less than half a year. It took me a year to get to level two."

"It is quite impressive," Riveria conceded.

"So I asked him again. This time I wanted a real answer. It couldn't just be he was trying to catch up to someone. That's the same reason I'm trying to get stronger, but I'm nowhere near as fast as him."

Riveria's eyes narrowed. She knew it would do little good to point out that they were two different people and whatever method he was using to grow so quickly was unquestionably unique to him.

"He told me it was because he was in love," Aiz continued.

That caught Riveria's attention.

"Did he now? Well, love can certainly motivate someone to do the impossible."

Aiz's hands clenched into fists so tight, her knuckles bled white which, again, Riveria did not fail to notice and a tinge of fear entered her heart.

"He looked dead."

Now Riveria was alarmed.

"Dead? What are you talking about?"

"When he told me how much he loved her. How he wanted so desperately to stand next to her. To be worthy of her. To have her look at him the same way he looked at her. That that was why he was pushing himself further and further," Aiz turned to her, tears in her eyes. "His eyes were so empty. It was like looking at a dead body," misery filled Aiz's golden eyes and to Riveria it was as if she was watching a star die. "He was crying. I wanted to say something. To respond to those words somehow, but I couldn't. I didn't know how."

This was a great deal to take in for Riveria who was lost for words herself. However, she wanted to understand what happened and was intent on getting answers.

"Aiz, can you tell me exactly what happened before he said all this? Did you say or do anything?" she asked.

"I asked him, as a friend, to tell me the truth of his growth."

Now Riveria understood.

"'_As a friend', words as good as poison for someone in love."_

"I see," she said, nodding solemnly. "And how did it end?"

Something happened then that not only outright shocked Riveria, but which she viewed as a miracle.

Aiz blushed.

"I-I don't really know. I turned to leave when Bell suddenly called out to me. I turned to him a-and-"

Riveria actually leaned in.

"And…?"

"He...he smiled at me and said, 'It was nice to see you'," she stopped as if trying to figure something out. "There was something...different in the way he said it. It was so bright, so...I don't know. Like there was some sort of power there that I didn't know. It," she grabbed her heart. "It made my chest feel funny and my cheeks heat up and I felt like I desperately needed to get away from there. From him. And I don't know why."

Riveria's mouth was unabashedly open. What she just heard was a mixture of the saddest, most shocking, and most wonderful things she had ever heard.

"_Well I'll be."_

She smiled and placed her hand on Aiz's shoulder, catching her attention.

"Aiz, you shouldn't worry."

"I shouldn't? But what about what I'm feeling? What if I'm sick?"

"You're not," Riveria said gently. "In fact you might be the exact opposite of that."

Aiz tilted her head in clear confusion.

"Then...what am I?" she asked.

"I want to tell you, I really do, but this is one of those things that's best left to the person it's effecting. In this case, you. What I can say is that I think it would be wise if you went back to Bell tomorrow and talk to him. Apologize for tonight, then spend some time with him."

"But...he was crying."

"All the more reason to go to him."

"What if he doesn't want to see me?"

"Oh I doubt he won't want to," Riveria said with a knowing smile.

"What if Achilles is there? He doesn't seem to like me."

"If you see Achilles, tell him I want to talk to him."

"You want to talk to him?"

"Actually, yes, but in this case it's more to get him out of the way so you can talk to Bell."

"But, what about the rest of Bell's familia? They didn't seem to like me being there. His goddess is kind of scary."

Riveria chuckled.

"Then try to catch him while he's out and about. Whatever you do, just find a way to talk to him. That's the only way for things to get fixed and, in case you need more encouragement, it may actually cause you to grow stronger."

"Really?" Aiz asked, excitement and skepticism mixing in her voice.

"Mmhm," Riveria said, smiling.

Aiz went quiet for a moment, thinking on what Riveria had said and suggested.

"Alright," she said. "I'll go to him tomorrow, apologize, and talk to him."

"Good. Now," Riveria got up. "I think you should get some sleep. You've had quite the day and perhaps have an even bigger one tomorrow."

She turned to leave when Aiz called out to her.

"Riveria!" The elf turned. "Thank you."

The mother of Loki familia smiled.

"It was my pleasure, Aiz."

* * *

Hestia familia sat quietly as they took in what Bell said with more than a little surprise. Ryuu, as the newest de facto member of the familia, was playing quite a bit of catch up and her head was just one more surprise away from spinning off her shoulders.

"So, Achilles threatens Loki familia," Welf began.

Bell nodded.

"Loki then orders her familia to try and kill him," Mikoto continued.

Bell nodded again.

"And an opportunity arises to do just that when they find him and Ottar fighting on level 10," Ryuu said, her mind putting the pieces together.

"Yes," Bell said.

"You then intervene and order Achilles to withdraw his threat and for Loki to withdraw her order," Haruhime said, her voice filled with admiration.

"Correct," Bell said, a hint of a modest blush on his cheeks. His pleasure was short-lived however as the next part came.

"You then challenged Freya to prove her affections to you?!" Hestia cried, an irate Lili right beside her.

Bell nearly jumped out of his skin as the two whirled on him.

"U-Um...yes?"

The two glared down at him.

"Why would you do that Bell-kun?!" Hestia demanded.

"I-I thought it was for the best."

"You thought it was for the best?!" Lili demanded.

Bell sank deep into the cushions of the couch.

"You are effectively handing yourself to her on a silver platter!" Hestia screamed. "In all my years I've never heard of anyone demanding that she prove her affections," she slapped her forehead. "Oh gods, I can just picture how she reacted. She probably took pleasure from it."

It took a moment for those around her to realize what she meant, but then they did, more than a few eyes widened.

"Y-You don't mean what I think you mean, right, Hestia-sama?" Mikoto asked.

"Oh I mean exactly what you're thinking. When I say Freya probably took pleasure in that challenge, I mean she _took pleasure_."

Blushes appeared on most cheeks at this, but Hestia wasn't done.

"And now she's just going to want you even more, Bell-kun! She's probably already thinking of some devious plan to steal you away from me," she said, breathing heavily.

Bell was sweating nervously now, unsure of what to say.

"When I get my hands on Achilles I swear he's going to learn why goddesses are something to fear."

"A-Achilles isn't to blame for this," Bell tried to defend.

"He's the reason this entire situation came about. If not for him and his temper you never would have had the chance to make your challenge to Freya, so he will be punished accordingly. As for you, you are in big trouble," she said, looming over Bell. "It appears I need to teach you in what you should and should not do with regards to goddesses and what you should and should **not** say to them!"

Bell's forehead was now practically raining sweat as the fury of his goddess came crashing down upon him.

A cough pulled everyone's attention away from the cowering rabbit to a red-headed smith.

"Maybe we should save that for another time. We do, after all, have a new member for our familia who needs a proper welcome," he said.

Gratitude poured out of Bell's eyes to his older brother figure who gave him a subtle smile letting him know that he had his back.

"Well, I suppose you're right," Hestia admitted, turning to Ryuu. "We've already met, but for the sake of formality, I'll reintroduce myself. I am Hestia, goddess of the hearth, and I welcome to our home."

"Thank you, Hestia-sama," Ryuu said, willfully setting aside what she had just seen in order to be polite and start off on the right foot. "I would like to join your familia, not only because Caesar-san ordered me to do so in exchange for paying off my bounty, but also because I think this is wonderful familia filled with kind, just people," she said.

"Well, you're certainly right on that front," Hestia said with a smile. "That said, given all you've told us, I'm expecting a lot from you. You've helped us in the past, which earns you points in my book, but if you're going to be part of this familia, simply being helpful or a good fighter isn't going to be enough. You're going to have to be honest and upfront about everything. We don't keep secrets here," Hestia stated. "We know how those can tear people apart and hurt in ways we never meant for them to," a hint of guilt entered her eyes. "So, if you're to join us, you're going to have to give us 100 percent. Think you can do that?"

Ryuu smiled and nodded.

"I can," she said.

"Alright. Then I welcome you to Hestia familia. We'll do all the official stuff tomorrow, for now, I'll have Haruhime find you some clothes that aren't meant for servers."

Haruhime happily stood up and walked over to Ryuu.

"I would be happy to assist you."

"Thank you."

"Now, I don't know about all of you, but I'm beat and I think it's about time for us all to go to bed," Hestia declared.

"Agreed," Welf said.

"I think I'll take a bath first, but rest does sound lovely," Mikoto said.

"Alright, then, goodnight everyone!" Hestia declared.

"Good night!" they all returned, breaking off from each other.

As everyone went their separate ways, Bell made as hasty a retreat as he dared without raising suspicion, quickly entering his room, locking the door, and throwing himself into bed so as to muffle the sounds of misery that were quickly escaping from him.

* * *

Achilles had made it to level fifty and decided now would be as good a time as any to rest.

Sitting down, Achilles let out a sigh.

"How many years has it been since I've done this? How long has it been since I've been this far down the Dungeon? Ah, too many by far. Whatever the case, this should be as far as I go. Even a level seven would be foolish to delve into the fifties alone. Guess I'll head back to wreak havoc after some shut-eye."

He closed his eyes and laid back on the ground, taking comfort in the soft grass beneath him.

He didn't know how long he'd been asleep, only that it wasn't that long, when the sound of movement and the shaking of the ground awoke him.

"This is a safe level, so you'd better have a good reason for waking me," he said as he stood up only to find himself face to face with an army of caterpillar like creatures.

"Well. You're new."

The one closest to him spewed some purple liquid at him. He quickly dodged and looked at the spot it hit, watching as it melted before him.

"Acid. Well isn't that lovely. Guess we're going the magic route," he said, cracking his knuckles.

The monsters began to advance on him, but he wasn't worried and simply began to chant.

"I call for the heavens to darken and the wrath of the king of Olympus to awaken."

Several caterpillars spewed acid at him, which he effortlessly dodged.

"Hear me, your faithful servant. I call upon you to bring ruin to my enemies and leave their armies as naught but dust."

The monsters attacked again, this time, after he dodged, he jumped up and kicked one in the head, sending it flying at a group of its nearby comrades.

"Let the world be filled with your terrible light and let all before me fill with fear. Let none question the power and fury of those on high. Come, and bring about utter destruction that only ye gods can inflict. Olympian Wrath!"

The once light filled room, darkened as clouds appeared high above, touching the ceiling with their blackened fingers. The room grew darker and darker until finally, when it was nearly pitch black, a roar of thunder shook the floor before a barrage of lightning struck down upon the helpless monsters. One after another the creatures were hit by the relentless fury of Achilles's magic, the lightning strikes piercing their bodies, reducing them to ash. This went on for some time and only ended when the last of the monsters was destroyed.

"Well, with that out of the way," Achilles said, walking over to the nearest magic stone. "Hm?" he looked at the stone. "Well isn't that something," he said eyeing the oddly colored stone. "I wonder what's up with you."

Not far from where Achilles stood, two figures looked down on him with malevolent eyes.

"Should we kill him?" Revis asked.

"We don't have enough information to make such a move, and anyone who can make it this far down the Dungeon by himself is not someone to take lightly," Ein replied.

"So we just leave him?" she asked, giving Ein a look.

"For now. If he keeps progressing further down or snoops too close to something, then we can take care of him."

"Hm," Revis replied, turning back to Achilles. She froze when she saw his eyes pointed directly at them. "He sees us."

"That's impossib-," then Ein noticed Achilles as well, and the unwavering gaze pointed at them. "We should leave."

For once Revis had no complaint.

Achilles watched them go, his eyes narrowing as they disappeared.

"Hm."

* * *

Finished. Alright guys, I once again find myself needing to split a chapter because it was getting so long. To put it in perspective, the unfinished chapter this was originally part of was at 10,000 words. Now, that in itself wouldn't have been enough for me to split the chapter, but as I wrote it I found that the tonal shift seemed too jarring to allow it all to be in one chapter, especially since I'm still worrying about that with what's here, so I decided it was best to have a break. Hopefully you guys are okay with that, after all, you're getting three chapters where originally it was only supposed to be one, and you get a whole bunch of previously unplanned stuff getting put in to spice things up. On that note, please do let me know what you think. If I'm being a bit weird or unfaithful to the characters, please do tell me what I'm doing wrong so I can make a correction before putting out the next chapter, which should be coming out relatively soon given that I already technically began it when writing this chapter, and I just want some more time to think about it before finishing it. Anyway, that'll be all for now, again, I do hope you enjoyed it and are enjoying the story overall. With that, I will end there and bid you all farewell. So, bye for now.


	10. Chapter 10

Whew, here we are again for another chapter of Heroes. I hope you all are enjoying yourself as much as I am and that you look forward to what comes next. Thank you all again for the very kind and informative reviews, I am certainly reading them and I really do appreciate the feedback. That said, let's jump back into our story, shall we?

I do not own Danmachi

* * *

Bell woke up from a restless sleep. The events of yesterday had pulled him in so many different directions that his mind seemed ready to pull him apart. The one that naturally came to the forefront was what transpired with Aiz.

"_She doesn't feel the same way. You knew that already. This is nothing to be upset about,"_ he tried to tell himself. But yesterday was different. He all but confessed how he felt, yet Aiz had fled from him. She didn't want him. She wanted to know how he grew so quickly. She wanted his skill.

Fresh tears filled his eyes, but he quickly shook his head and wiped them away.

"No," he told himself. "I won't let this stop me."

Getting up, he quickly dressed and made his way downstairs with the intent of continuing his 'mental training' after he'd eaten.

"_At least it'll keep my mind off things for a while."_

He entered the kitchen being greeted by the sight of Haruhime working on breakfast.

"Morning, Haruhime," he said with a smile.

"Oh! Bell-sama! Good morning," she greeted. "Would you like some bacon and eggs?" she asked.

"That sounds great."

Bell enjoyed his meal, focusing on the flavors and tastes to ease his mind before turning back to Haruhime.

"Has Hestia gone to work already?" he asked.

"Actually this is her day off so she's still sleeping. I believe Lili-san is doing the same. Welf-san is at his forge and Mikoto-san is taking her morning bath," the two shared a laugh at this. "As for Ryuu-san, she left to explain things to her friends at the Hostess of Fertility and pick up her things."

"That's good. I'm sure they'll be relieved."

Bell finished eating and cleaned his dishes before bidding Haruhime goodbye and leaving the manor.

Now out in the open air, he took a deep breath, and smiled before turning in the direction of Sword Street.

Finding the store that Achilles had told him about, he slowly entered, nervous of what he'd find.

"Hello?" he called.

"Be right there," a voice called from the back.

A moment later a middle-aged dwarf man walked up to the counter.

"Oh, well if it isn't the Rabbit Foot," he said with a smile. "What can I do for you young sir?"

Bell blushed and began to fidget before he mustered the courage to answer.

"I was told to ask for 'the good stuff'."

The dwarf seemed honestly surprised, but soon burst out laughing and nodded.

"I see. Suppose I shouldn't be surprised. A young, handsome, and famous fella like you must be very popular with the ladies."

Bell wanted to deny what the dwarf was obviously thinking, but he knew it was pointless. And he wasn't completely wrong.

"Here ya go lad. As this is your first time, I'll throw in an extra vial for half price. So, two vials of 'the good stuff' for 30,000 valis!" the dwarf offered.

The price staggered Bell, but Achilles had warned him the stuff was expensive. Luckily he had some of his own money saved up and so could pay for it without hurting the familia.

So, as expensive as it was, and as mortified as he was, he paid for the items.

"Have fun kid."

Bell left as quickly as possible.

Quickly making his way through the city streets, he headed toward the Pleasure District. Reaching it, he made sure he entered without being seen and then continued to sneak his way to Belit Babili.

Two Amazons were standing guard outside its gate when he arrived and, seeing him, they smiled.

"Rabbit Foot! You here for more 'training'?" one of them asked with a giggle.

He scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, if you're all not too busy," he said sheepishly.

"We're never too busy for you," the other guard stated. "Go on inside. We won't be able to join you until our shifts over, but when it is, you can bet you'll be seeing us again."

A light blush appeared on Bell's cheeks, but that didn't stop him from smiling and thanking the two before making his way inside.

Entering the former home of Ishtar, it didn't take long for him to be discovered.

"Rabbit Foot!" cried Sharay as she rushed over to him. "You here to be 'trained' again?"

"Uh, yes, if it's not too much trouble to ask."

"It's no trouble at all. But," she looked around. "Where's Achilles? Someone already pick him up?" she asked with a small pout.

"Oh, no. He's actually in the Dungeon right now. It's a bit of a story," he answered.

"Really?" Saray asked mischievously. "In that case no need to wait around. I'll take you upstairs and get you comfortable."

"Are you sure? Should we wait for Aisha or the others?"

"No need. I can take care of things, and more importantly, take care of you," she said seductively.

A few alarm bells were going off in Bell's mind, but he was confident that, if things really became too uncomfortable, that he'd be able to escape the Amazon.

"Okay. But please remember the rules that Achilles set."

"Of course!" she replied with a smile. "I'll do only what _you_ want me to do," she said.

The pair walked upstairs to one of the empty rooms and Sharay sat him down on the bed before getting on it himself.

"So, uh, how should we start?" he asked. In all honesty, he had expected Aisha to continue teaching him and would have preferred that, not because Sharay or the other ladies weren't beautiful, but because he knew her the best, had a level of trust with her and though the idea embarrassed him greatly, he felt her method of training was rather...nice, for lack of a better word.

"Well, first, we need to get rid of that tension. So," she changed her sitting position and patted her lap. "Put your head here."

"Um, okay," he replied before gently laying down and placing his head in her lap.

A moment later he felt her hand slowly begin to caress his hair.

"How's that?" she asked.

"It's, actually kind of nice," he said as he felt himself relaxing into her touch.

"I'm glad. I know we Amazons seem so scary, our first meeting, I'm sure, only reinforced that." Bell didn't say anything, but it was obvious from the way he tensed that that's how he saw it. "We're just a bit aggressive when we see something we like and, boy do I speak for all of us when I say," she leaned down next to his ear. "We like you." Bell shivered. "But, if the direct approach doesn't work, then we'll try a new strategy. In your case you appear to like a more gentle girl, so that's what you'll get."

"T-Thank you," Bell replied.

"Of course. Now just sit back, relax, and let me coax away those worries."

Bell, for all his previous concerns, found himself quickly relaxing under her gentle petting. Maybe lap pillows were his weakness, he wasn't sure. Whatever the case, he was soon at her complete mercy as his defenses dropped and he enjoyed her ministrations.

"You like that, Rabbit Foot?" she cooed.

"Uh-huh," he said sleepily.

"Do you mind if I call you Bell?"

"No. I'd actually prefer that," he replied, still so softly it was almost a whisper.

"Then you just keep enjoying my lap, Bell," she said, her own voice getting quieter.

Bell fell deeper and deeper into his comfortable stupor, unaware that Sharay was beginning to move.

It began slowly. A few shifts here and there to test the waters. Seeing that Bell was still deep in his pleasurable half-awakened state, she moved to the next step.

Reaching up, she removed the clothing covering her upper body and laid it on the bed, making sure Bell was still helpless before moving to the next step.

Slowly she began to shift her body so that she was above him, making sure to keep petting him all the while until she finally moved her hands to his coat and began to unbutton it.

Bell began to return from his stupor the moment the soft hand of Sharay stopped petting his hair. Slowly he began to remember where he was, who he was with, but most importantly, he took notice of the cool feeling on his chest and the loose feeling of his clothes.

Looking down, groggily at himself, he found his jacket open, his shirt lifted up, and Sharay petting his abs and chest like a woman possessed.

"Sharay?" he asked, still not yet fully understanding what was going on.

"Sorry, Bell, but seeing you so helpless beneath me awakened my instincts. I couldn't let an opportunity with such a strong male go to waste," she said as her hands found the button to his pants.

It took another couple of seconds for Bell's brain to fully awaken, but when it did, his eyes shot open and he cried out.

"Wait!"

Trying desperately to simultaneously put his clothes back on and get away from Sharay, he found himself in a battle with the Amazon for control of his pants.

"Come on Bell, just a few rounds with me. Just enough to ensure that I have a strong daughter with white hair and red eyes," she pleaded.

Bell, in spite of the training he'd received and the maturity he'd shown the last few days, could not handle that. Instantly his face lit up with a blush so bright one would have been able to see it in the dark.

"I...you...shouldn't...baby…!"

Luckily for Bell, and very unluckily for Sharay, the door to the room burst open and an irate Aisha walked in.

"Sharay," she growled.

"What? You don't get to hog him all to yourself."

The response Sharay received was for Aisha to grab her by her head and throw her from the room.

Bell let out a breath of relief.

"Thank yo-," he tried to say, only to have Aisha suddenly pick him up, throw her over her shoulder and begin transporting him to another part of the building.

A minute or so later they arrived at the same room they had occupied previously, with the reinforced doors, where Aisha promptly threw him on the bed before closing and locking the doors.

"You need to be more careful, Bell," she said.

Not in a position to argue, he nodded.

"I know. Thank you," he finally managed to say.

"You're welcome. Now, I can tell just by looking at you that you have something on your mind that's troubling you, and I can tell its not Sharay trying to pull something," she said.

Bell immediately tensed.

"I...I wouldn't want to bother you with my troubles," he tried to dodge.

"Bell, I'm a prostitute, listening to men's troubles is often a part of the job. You wouldn't believe how many men come to us simply because they want someone to listen to and comfort them."

"Really?" Aisha nodded. "But," he paused. "It's about the girl I'm in love with," he admitted.

"I see," Aisha replied. Things were silent for a moment before she continued. "Were you rejected?" she asked as gently as possible.

Bell shook his head.

"Not exactly. It's more that she just doesn't think of me that way."

Aisha sat down next to him.

"Mind telling me exactly what happened?"

Bell was hesitant to answer. Even his familia didn't know what exactly happened with Aiz and he wasn't sure he wanted to tell anyone, let alone Aisha.

"I know I'm probably not your first choice, Bell," she said, seeing his hesitation. "But I am here, and it's very clear that you need to get this off your chest. And in some ways I might be a good option. I don't know who this girl is, so it's a blank slate with regards to personal opinion, and I've spent years hearing and keeping secrets. I promise you, whatever you say here, I won't tell a soul."

The genuineness of her words hit Bell. The nagging feeling wasn't gone, but he knew she was right when she said he needed to get this off his chest. The only other two options he could really think of that he might want to share this information with were Welf and Achilles, maybe Haruhime or his grandfather, but each one of them came with problems, most of all, Bell recognized, Achilles, who already didn't care for Aiz and would certainly not appreciate her trying to use him. Welf would have probably been the best option as he would have listened patiently and given good, honest advice with how to deal with what he was feeling, though there was still a risk he'd hold some level of animosity towards Aiz for what happened. More importantly, he wasn't here right now, and Aisha was. In the end, that's what settled the matter.

"She came to our home last night," he began. "Saying she wanted to talk to me."

Slowly, bit by bit Bell told her what happened, a few times stopping to take a break and slow his racing heart or because his voice was beginning to crack. Finally, he managed to tell her everything, including that he hoped that training with her today would get his mind off what had happened.

Bell suddenly felt himself being pulled towards Aisha. Her arms wrapped around him, hugging him firmly, before she kissed his forehead.

"What a sweet, beautiful boy you are," she said gently.

"A-Aisha-san?"

"It must have been so painful for you. You shouldn't have had to go through that," she continued as though she hadn't heard his words.

Tears pricked Bell's eyes.

"I-It's f-fine," he tried to say. "I knew already that she d-didn't feel the same way. That's why I've been trying s-so hard t-to catch up with h-her. T-To be w-worthy of-," he wasn't able to finish as his words caught in his throat and the tears came down in force.

"That's it. Let it out," Aisha said, gently stroking his head. "Just let it out."

And that's what he did. Bell cried as Aisha pet his head, whispering soft nothings into his ear. They did this for some time, neither knew for how long, neither cared either, until finally, Bell, red-faced and even more red-eyed than normal, backed away, wiping away his tears.

"I'm so sorry," he said with no small hint of embarrassment.

"Don't apologize. You needed that," she replied.

Bell was still embarrassed, but had enough cognisance to recognize she wasn't going to accept an apology, so instead, he bowed his head.

"Thank you."

She smiled at him.

"You're welcome."

The two were silent for a moment, before Bell finally managed to smile at her.

"There's a smile," Aisha said, growing one in return. "Feeling a bit better?"

"Yes, but I don't know how to repay you," he replied.

"Think nothing of it. Your company is payment on its own. However, if you would be willing to do me a favor, that would certainly make me happy. In fact, this particular favor would be good training as well and will probably get your mind off things for a bit."

"What is it?" Bell asked.

Aisha smiled before removing her garments.

Unprepared for this, Bell blushed and looked down.

"You've already seen me Bell, no need to be embarrassed. Besides, you'll be returning the favor."

"W-What do you mean?"

"To fulfill this favor slash training session, you're going to have to strip as well."

Bell's eyes widened to an alarming degree at that.

"W-W-W-Whaa-?"

"Relax, Bell. All I want to do is for us to lay next to each. That's all, no naughty stuff. Well, besides the skin-on-skin contact."

This did little to ease Bell.

"Think about it. You've already touched me, this is just a fuller version of that. We won't be doing anything. Just cuddling, maybe sleeping, which it looks like you could use," she said pointing to the dark circles under his eyes. "I'll even allow you to keep your underwear on...this time."

"_This time?!"_ Bell's mind shrieked.

"Please, Bell." His eyes snapped to her and he found his blush growing as she stared at him with puppy eyes. "Won't you do this for me? You did come here to train and I want to get your mind off your worries," she held out her arms. "Won't you let me ease away your burdens."

Aisha was good. There was no denying that. She had very quickly understood Bell's weaknesses, the honest plea of a lady being the easiest for her to exploit. Indeed, she watched as, within mere moments, Bell's resolve to deny her began to crack and crumble. One more good push and he'd fall. Right into her arms.

"Please, Bell. Won't you warm me, just for a little while?"

That did it. With moments, Bell, with a tomato red face, began to remove his clothing until he was in nothing but his underwear, looking down at the bed with an intensity that threatened to cause it to burst into flames.

"Thank you," Aisha said, cupping his cheek. "Now come," she said, lifting up the sheets and snuggling in them. "Join me," she instructed while holding open the blankets.

Bell, still red-faced, but resolved to do what he had come there to do, slowly crawled over to her and under the sheets. Once he did so, Aisha threw the covers over them and pulled him close, smashing her chest against him in such a way that could only be described as sinful.

"Comfy?" she asked.

Bell couldn't find the words to answer, causing her to laugh.

"Relax, Bell. Nothing's going to happen. I swore I wouldn't try to force myself on you again and I meant it. I rather like these visits and want you to continue coming back. As such I will never force the boundaries too far, only enough to give you some experience with us women. Okay?"

Bell, now finally calm enough to respond, nodded.

"Okay."

"Good. Now, just relax. Feel me against you. My warmth. My smoothness. Let it wash away your troubles and lure you into a restful sleep."

Bell did as requested, gently running his fingers along Aisha's body, never going anywhere too daring, but exploring enough to understand very well the warmth and smoothness she described.

"That's it," she whispered. "Let me be the guardian of your sleep. The assurance you need to let all your troubles blow away so that you can fall into a restful slumber. Let my arms be your walls and my warmth be your guide into peace," she said softly as a feather on a breeze. "Sleep, Bell," she stroked his hair. "Sleep."

Bell's eyes grew heavy as Aisha softly drew him into sleep. A part of his mind warned him of the potential dangers of this, reminding him of what had only just happened with Shary. But another, stronger part of his mind, reminded him of what Aisha had said and that her word was to be trusted. And so, slowly but surely, Bell drifted into restful sleep, his troubles forgotten thanks to Aisha's kindness and warmth.

"That's a good boy," she said once he had fallen asleep. "People like you shouldn't have trouble sleeping," she punctuated this by kissing his forehead. "Now, you'll have to forgive me if I decide to take advantage of this situation just a little bit," she said.

With that, she snuggled more deeply into the bed, pulling Bell even closer to her, smiling all the while, before falling asleep herself.

* * *

Aiz woke up early like she usually did and with a goal in mind. Find Bell, apologize, and try to figure out what these odd feelings were.

She quickly dressed and made her way downstairs only to find Riveria standing by the main entrance.

"Figured you head out as soon as possible."

"Morning, Riveria. Yes, I was planning to go find Bell and talk to him again like you suggested."

"That's good. But you should know, Aiz that most people don't wake up as early as you so he and the rest of Hestia familia may still be asleep, and waking them would likely not be a good foot to start off on." Aiz's shoulders slumped. "Might I suggest you eat breakfast first. Not only will it take up some time, but it'll also prevent any interruptions from your stomach during your talk with Cranel-san."

Having not eaten anything since early yesterday due to everything that happened, Aiz saw the logic in that and agreed.

The two walked into the mostly empty dining area and grabbed a few bites of food that had been prepared by the Loki familia chiefs.

"So, do you have any idea of what you're going to say to him?" Riveria asked.

"I was going to apologize to him for yesterday and ask him about the odd feelings I had."

Riveria quirked a brow.

"Well, the first part seems alright, but I'd caution the second."

"Why?"

"It may give Cranel-san ideas that can't quite come to fruition yet." Aiz tilted her head in confusion. "Instead, if he accepts your apology, you may wish to ask him about this girl he's in love with. Maybe hearing how he feels about her in detail will help you understand his drive and, in turn, how's he growing so quickly."

"_And, gods willing, may help you understand what you may also be feeling,"_ Riveria hoped.

Aiz thought about this for a moment. It seemed to make sense, as Riveria's advice always did, and so she soon after nodded.

"I understand. I'll ask him."

"Good. Now, why don't we talk a little bit more about how best to approach this situation."

Aiz made her way through the city streets with a purpose. Those she passed as she all but ran to the Hestia familia home might have sworn that she was prepared to do battle with some foe given the look in her eye.

Heartfire Manor soon appeared before her and she raced towards it, intent on talking to Bell and apologizing, even if she had to deal with his scary goddess.

However, a feeling of inexplicable fear suddenly that had nothing to do with said goddess suddenly fell on her, and grew stronger and stronger the closer she got towards her goal. Sweat appeared on her skin turning her hands clammy, and her heart began to beat so heavily that it seemed as though it might burst out of her chest.

When she was but a few paces away, she stopped, unable to take another step as she felt as if she might suffocate.

"_What's wrong with me?"_ she thought as she tried to steady her breath. "_Why am I so afraid?"_ She looked at the manor, her heart instantly beating faster in response. "_Why do I feel like I should run away? That I should get as far from here as possible?"_ She shook her head. "_No. I need to talk to Bell. I need to apologize."_

Though this might have been her intention, the moment her mind turned to the white-haired adventurer she suddenly felt as though something were floating around in her stomach and her heart beat went completely out of control. This was only made worse when she remembered how their previous night ended and an image of his smiling face appeared in her mind.

A burning sensation now came to Aiz's face unlike anything she'd ever felt before.

"_I must be sick. There's no other explanation. I need to get back home."_

Her decision made, she turned around and began her trek back home, with each step she took making her feel simultaneously better and far far worse.

Once more, Aiz practically ran back the way she came, barely paying attention to where she was going as her mind began to bounce back and forth between her alarming symptoms and her desire to talk and fix things with Bell.

"_I need to talk to him. But if I'm sick I don't want him getting sick as well. But the more time that passes, the harder it will be for him to forgive me. But Riveria said she was sure he would want to talk to me even after yesterday. But why is that? And why was she smiling?"_

So focused on her thoughts was she that she actually failed to pay enough attention to prevent herself from colliding headfirst into someone turning the corner.

Two bodies crashed to the ground, the sound of a bag dropping and losing all its goods mixing with the sound of two bodies greeting the ground with their butts.

"Ow," Aiz said, before realizing she needed to apologize and looked up. Her body froze and her eyes widened at seeing who it was.

* * *

Bell left the Pleasure District feeling much better. He had thanked Aisha again for her help, to which she only responded that it was her pleasure and that she hoped he would visit again soon. He promised that he would.

Quickly dosing himself in the vial of scent killer, Bell decided to return home, maybe picking up something for dinner on the way back.

Making his way through the streets of Orario, he began to check out the local stalls in search of something to bring home.

He found some fresh produce and pastries that would make a nice addition to whatever was made that night, which made him quite glad he had made sure to pack extra valis today.

Pleased with his purchase and feeling much more at ease thanks to Aisha, he began his journey back home with a smile on his face.

"_I'll have to find a way to thank Aisha. I know she said it was her pleasure, but I think it's only right that I do or get her something in return for all the help she's been giving me."_

He began to think about things he might get her or things he could do for her that might make her happy, the latter of which quickly brought a blush to his face as he knew full well what kind of 'things' she'd like to do with him.

Perhaps it was because of this embarrassment or maybe it was due to his Luck skill, but when he turned the corner, bag of groceries in hand, he found himself colliding with a mass of blonde hair and falling quite unceremoniously onto his backside.

"Ow," he said. "Are you alrig-."

His eyes widened as he found himself staring at Aiz. The young lady soon looked up herself and then joined him in a wide-eyed staring competition.

"A-Aiz-san!" he cried, shocked to find the girl who had been occupying so much of his mind the last twenty-four hours suddenly before him.

"B-Bell," she replied, as equally shocked. "I, uh," her eyes suddenly caught sight of his spilled groceries. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said, quickly going to pick them up.

"Huh?" He looked down. "Oh! Oh no, it's alright," he said, quickly jumping in to help her.

They quickly picked up the spilled items, luckily finding nothing damaged, and stood up, where they proceeded to stare at each other in awkward silence.

Finally, after staring at the ground for far longer than any normal person would, Bell decided to break off.

"I-It was nice seeing you again, Aiz. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help last night," he said, bowing and moving to leave.

"Wait!"

He stopped and looked at her.

His eyes caused the odd feeling in her stomach to return and she averted her gaze.

"Can we talk...again?"

Bell, surprised and unsure of what else to do, nodded.

The two made their way through the city streets and alleys until they found a quiet place to talk; a secluded spot that was clearly used by couples and lovers as a secret getaway, which did absolutely nothing for Bell's nerves.

"S-So," he cleared his throat. "Aiz-san, was there another question you had for me?" he asked, doing his best to put on a smile, even though his heart was screaming out in dread at the thought of another question.

Aiz was silent for some time, each second filling Bell with more and more nervousness until it threatened to erupt forth from him. Finally though, she acted.

Placing herself directly in front of Bell, she looked him straight in the eye, before suddenly bowing as deeply as she could before him.

"I am extremely sorry for how I acted yesterday and ask for your forgiveness."

To say that Bell was surprised was a drastic understatement. Stunned would have been far more accurate. Bewildered would have worked as well. This had never even occurred to him as a possibility. As such, it took him a moment to regain his barings and make a response.

"What are you apologizing for, Aiz-san?" he asked.

"I treated you very poorly yesterday. I saw you as only a means to an end instead of the friend and comrade that you have grown to be. I was cruel and self-centered and I hope only that you can find it in yourself to forgive me."

Bell's mouth was wide open now.

"There's no need for that. Really. I understand why you asked," he quickly stated.

"But you were crying," she said, standing up.

"Oh...well...um," he found himself tongue-tied. He would have preferred that she didn't remember that, but given that she had there was little point denying it. So he had to try and figure out how to respond. However, the more time that passed, the more he found that he wanted to be truthful to her. After all, this was Aiz Wallenstein, the girl he loved. Truth was what she deserved.

He sighed.

"Yes I was," he admitted. "I just…" he stopped and took a deep breath. "I realized that I still had a long way to go be with the person I love," he said with a sad smile.

Aiz's heart clenched, causing her hand to instinctively reach for it.

"W-Why did you think that?" she asked, her voice low as if her very breath had been taken from her at that confession.

"I ...had a feeling that she didn't think of me that way. The way I thought of her," he said, unable to go further than that.

Before either of them knew it, Aiz had suddenly taken his hands in hers.

"I believe that she would be lucky to have you."

Bell's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as his heart began to thunder in his chest.

"_Did she just…?"_

He wasn't sure, but the possibility almost threatened to cause him to burst into flames from the sheer speed of which his heart was pumping.

"Y-You think so?" he finally managed.

She smiled at him and nodded.

"I do."

He knew what question came next. The question that needed to be asked. The question _he_ needed to ask.

He swallowed heavily.

"Would...would you consider yourself lucky to have me?"

Aiz was not expecting that. She really wasn't expecting that.

"Would I…?"

Her mind began to try and find an answer to this impossibly difficult question that Bell had suddenly dropped on her. Bouncing around every which way, it tried, desperately, to find an answer.

"I…"she tried.

Her mind was practically screaming as it tried to find an answer, but failed utterly. Finally, when all hope seemed lost and Aiz's instincts told her to either just say whatever first popped into her head or run, and do so all the way back to Twilight Manor; another part of her sang the answer to her lips.

She smiled and grabbed her heart.

"I would. I would consider myself very lucky."

Bell's world stopped.

"_She...she thinks she'd be lucky. She thinks that she'd be lucky to be with me."_

Joy indescribable to anyone who has not felt it, but known universally to all who have, filled Bell to every corner of his being. Euphoria radiated off him as a smile so radiant that it stopped Aiz's heart for a moment, suddenly spread on his lips. And with it, a new need.

"_Now. I need to tell you now."_

"Aiz-san," he said, still smiling so brightly some might have thought it was the very sun. "I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" she asked, still stunned by the happiness pouring from him, but happy herself that he was smiling to brightly.

"I…" he took a breath. "I think you're the most wonderful person I've ever met," a noticeable blush came to her cheeks at this. "And I…" he failed again. "I…" the words wouldn't come out.

"_I can't,"_ he realized, looking back at her. "_Not yet. It needs to be better than this. She deserves more."_

"Bell?"

He sighed, but smiled at her.

"It's nothing. I just wanted you to know how happy I am to know you and be part of your life."

Something felt off to Aiz, but she didn't know what. As such, she decided to simply smile back.

"I'm glad you are too. Does," she looked down. "Does that mean you can forgive me?"

His answer was instant.

"Always."

Relief filled her and she quickly threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you."

Bell, once he got over his surprise, regrew his smile, and hugged her back.

The two hugged for some time, enjoying the silent comfort of each other's company before they finally broke apart.

"Thank you, Bell. Truly," she said.

"No need to thank me, Aiz. I could never be upset with you."

Her smile grew at that.

"I'm glad."

The two fell silent for another moment, not that they minded, before she continued.

"She really is lucky."

"Who?" he asked with a quirk of his head.

"The girl you love. I hope you two find each other."

Bell blushed.

"I-I hope so too."

Aiz gave him one final smile before turning to leave.

"Aiz!" She turned. "I… um, I can't tell you how I'm growing so fast, but...I'll talk to Achilles and ask him to train you...if you want. I'll admit he's a bit wary of you, but if I ask him as a favor I'm sure he'll agree."

Aiz's eyes widened.

"You'd do that?"

He smiled and nodded.

He soon found himself in another hug.

"Thank you, Bell."

"You're welcome," he said as he hugged her back.

The two finally broke apart, both bidding each other a smiling farewell and both, the minute the other was out of sight, grabbing their pounding heart and growing a smile that could blind the stars.

* * *

Bell, smiling unabashedly, made his way back home, bag of groceries in his arms.

Entering the manor, he made his way into the kitchen and put down his load.

"Oh, Bell-sama. Welcome back. Oh, I see you have groceries," Haruhima greeted.

"Just a few things for dinner," Bell said, still smiling.

Said smile startled Haruhime who stared open mouthed at him for a moment before snapping out of her Bell-induced stupor.

"My, Bell-sama, you're smiling so brightly. Did something happen while you were out today?" she asked.

Bell just shrugged.

"I guess I just had a good day," he replied.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Haruhime was content to leave things at that and simply smiled back before beginning to chat with him.

The two had been talking for a little while when the others walked in.

"What are you two talking about?" Welf asked.

"This and that," Bell said.

"Well, someone's in a good mood," the smith said, taking note of Bell's smile.

"I had a good day," the young man replied.

"Oh? Mind sharing?"

"Not much to say. It was just nice," Bell said, not wanting to answer for a variety of reasons, namely that he knew Aiz wasn't the most popular person in his familia and that any mention of Aisha and the Pleasure District would not end well for him.

"Bell-kun," Hestia said, her eyes scanning him skeptically. "You wouldn't be hiding something, would you?"

All eyes turned to him. Luckily for him, he managed to continue smiling.

"Of course not. It's just..." he paused for a moment to think. "After yesterday I was feeling a bit...muddled? Like there was a fog over my mind given everything that happened. Not to say I wasn't happy. Having Ryuu join our familia made me really happy, but that was just one of many things that happened and it was a lot to take in. So, today, I went out hoping to clear my head. And I was able to do that so, I guess that just makes me happy," he said. It wasn't a lie, not fully. Yesterday had put his mind in a fog, that was true. He did feel guilty for not being fully honest with his familia and he hoped they would be able to forgive him for breaking his promise, he just didn't expect them to approve of his training with Aisha and he knew that revealing what happened with Aiz would end with a very unhappy goddess.

However, they wouldn't have been his familia if they hadn't noticed this half-truth.

"Does this have something to do with Aiz Wallen-whatisit visiting yesterday?"

He decided not to deny that and nodded.

"Yes. She wanted to know how I'm growing so quickly. I didn't tell her, but it wasn't easy, especially since she was so adamant about finding an answer."

Hestia frowned.

"I knew I couldn't trust her. That's it! She is henceforth banned from entering Heathfire Manor!" she declared.

"Hestia," Bell said gently. "There's no reason for that. She just wanted to know something that I'm sure half of Orario is curious about."

"Hm, well…" the goddess didn't want to concede. "Alright. But she's on thin ice! And you are no longer allowed to speak to her alone. If she has something to say she says it in front of all of us."

Most of his familia seemed to find this a bit much, though Lili, and interestingly enough, Ryuu, seemed to agree with this statement.

Bell, knowing better than to argue at this point, simply conceded.

"Alright."

That out of the way, Welf decided to jump in.

"Well, while you were gone, Hestia officially made Ryuu a member of our familia."

"Really?" Bell asked excitedly.

Ryuu smiled and nodded.

"Uh-huh, she is officially our newest member and our second level four. Hestia familia is getting stronger everyday," Hestia declared with a laugh.

A few rolled their eyes at this, a few laughed, but overall, everyone was as happy as she was at this moment.

"Bell-san," Ryuu said, catching everyone's attention. "I want to thank you again for helping me. If it wasn't for you I'm sure I wouldn't currently be here now, so from the bottom of my heart, thank you."

"I just wanted to help a friend, Ryuu. There's no need to thank me," he replied.

"Yet I will continue to do so, likely until my dying day," she said. "However, there is another subject that I wanted to bring up and that I've been talking with the others," she said, gesturing to everyone else.

"Oh?" Bell asked curiously.

"Achilles asked me to help you train while he's away. I hope to do just that and I thought that this might be a good opportunity to not only train our familia, but also to improve our relationships with other familias. As such, I took the liberty to invite said familias over to train with us."

"That's a great idea," Bell said. "Who did you invite?"

"Only Miach and Takemikazuchi familia for now. Hephaestus familia would likely be busy given they are a high ranking familia and Loki familia seemed out of the question."

Bell nodded.

"Great. Do we know when they're going to arrive?"

"They should actually be here soon," Ryuu answered.

Indeed, it wasn't long before the gate bell rang and the members of the Miach and Takemikazuchi familia filed in."

"Thank you for inviting us over," Takemikazuchi said with a bow. "We look forward to honing our skills alongside you."

"As do we," Miach said with a smile.

Bell looked over the gathering of adventurers, once more beaming happily.

"Alright, then should we get started?"

Everyone smiled back at him.

"Yes!"

* * *

Aiz ran all the way back home, a smile that threatened to tear her cheeks on her face.

Entering the mansion, she quickly went in search of Riveria to tell her the good news and thank her.

She ran around the mansion in a mad rush that startled quite a few, as did the smile that was so much brighter than anything they had ever seen on the normally stoic Sword Princess's face.

Some time passed before she ran into Tiona, Tione, Bete, and Lefiya walking down one of the hallways.

"Have any of you seen Riveria?" she asked so suddenly they jumped.

"She's in a meeting with Finn, Gareth, and Loki. Why?" Bete asked with narrowed eyes. "And why are you smiling like that?"

"I need to thank her for something she helped me with. It really made things better," Aiz said, still smiling.

"What did she help you with, Aiz-san?" Lefiya asked, happy to take in the joy of her dear Sword Princess.

"Yesterday I made a mistake with Bell that I wanted to correct and she helped me figure out how and things went better than I hoped."

Bete and Lefiya frowned, but weren't given time to respond as Tiona jumped in.

"Is that what had you all crazy yesterday when you came home from Heathfire Manor?" she asked.

Aiz nodded.

"Must have been quite the mistake," Tione said crossing her arms. "You practically gave us a heart-attack last night."

"It was. I hurt someone that I care for and was very confused afterwards. But I'm sorry I made you worry."

No one failed to notice the words, 'I care for', and the frowns on Bete and Lefiya's face deepened.

"No biggy, as long as things worked out in the end," Tiona said smiling.

"They did. Now, I need to go and properly thank Riveria. I'll talk to you all later," she said, before quickly making her way towards Loki's office.

"Wait, Aiz-sa-!" Lefiya tried only to have the blonde adventurer disappear.

"My my, quite the development," Tione said, causing her sister's smile to grow.

Bete growled.

"She said she didn't feel like that about the rabbit."

"She said she didn't know what you meant," Tione corrected. "And that smile would suggest that she doesn't think of him as a mere friend."

Bete glared at her, which in turn caused Tiona to decide to poke some fun.

"Ah, don't tell me the big bad wolf is jealous of the whittle whabbit."

"Shut up!" Bete roared before marching down the hall, leaving behind a smiling pair of sisters and one upset elf in his wake.

Aiz, oblivious to the problem she left behind, made her way to her goddess's office and, upon arriving, knocked.

"Yeah?" Loki called.

Aiz opened the door.

"Aiz-tan! What ya' doing he-."

She wasn't able to finish as Aiz, spotting Riveria, immediately went up and hugged her.

Everyone froze at the action, unsure of what was going on with Finn briefly wondering if someone had replaced Aiz with some sort of doppelganger.

"Thank you," Aiz said.

Riveria, after getting over her surprise, relaxed and asked the obvious question.

"And what are you thanking me for?"

"He forgave me," Aiz replied, hugging her more tightly.

Riveria smiled.

"I see," she turned to Loki and the others. "Would you mind excusing us for a moment?"

"Uh...sure?" Loki said.

"Thank you," Riveria replied before pulling away from Aiz and signalling for her to follow.

The two, leaving behind their three very surprised comrades, made their way through the halls until once more finding themselves at Aiz's room and entering.

"Now," Riveria said sitting down. "Tell me what happened. And don't leave out any details."

"I went to Heartfire Manor to see Bell," she began. "I was prepared to wait outside until an opportunity arose where I could speak to him again without worrying about Achilles or his familia." Riveria nodded. "But as I got closer, what I felt yesterday came back, only this time, worse." Riveria felt a touch anxious at that. "I was sweating, my heart was racing, and I had this feeling in my stomach that's hard to describe. I was sure I was sick and so turned back to go home."

"But you said you met Bell-san."

Aiz nodded.

"I did. On my way back I accidentally bumped into him. He looked so...I'm not sure. Afraid? Like he didn't want to see me. My heart felt funny again, like someone was squeezing it." Riveria nodded. "He apologized to me for not being able to help me last night, then turned to leave, but I stopped him and asked if we could speak again, which he agreed to."

"_Alright. We're getting somewhere,"_ Riveria thought.

"We then found a place to speak privately and I apologized."

"Good. And how did he take it?"

"He was confused. He asked me why I was apologizing, and I pointed out he had been crying, which means I hurt him. Doesn't it?"

"Most of the time, yes," Riveria answered.

"He then said…"she grabbed her heart. "That the reason he had been crying was because he realized that the girl he loved didn't feel the same way."

"I see," Riveria said frowning deeply as she honestly began to wonder how this story ended with Aiz smiling like never before and hugging her.

"But then I did something that I can't really explain."

"What did you do?"

"I took his hands and told him that I believed she would be lucky to have him."

That surprised Riveria.

"You did?" Aiz nodded. "You said that to him." Another nod.

"_I don't think she can even begin to comprehend how much that must have affected him,"_ Riveria thought.

"And how did he respond?"

"He asked me if I really thought so, and I told him I did. And then he asked me if I would consider myself lucky if I was with him."

Riveria's mouth opened and hope began to fill her heart.

"And...how did you respond?"

"At first I didn't know how to. I was so confused by the question that I couldn't come up with an answer. I even considered running from him."

"_Please tell me you didn't,"_ Riveria begged internally.

"But," Aiz's smile returned in full force, practically blinding the mother of Loki familia as she finally said. "Something gave me the answer. I told him I would consider myself very lucky if I was with him."

Riveria's jaw finally unhinged and her heart practically soared as these words passed through her ears.

"_I'll be. After all this time."_

Regaining control of herself, she smiled unreservedly at Aiz and scootched closer to her.

"Then what happened?" she asked excitedly. "How did young Bell respond?"

"He seemed really happy and then said he had something to tell me."

"And what did he have to tell you?" Riveria asked, leaning in, hoping dearly this ended how it sounded.

"He said that he thought I was the most wonderful person in the world," Aiz said, blushing. "But...then he stopped. He said he didn't have anything more to say, but it seemed as if he did and that he was disappointed about something."

Riveria's shoulders slumped.

"_I guess I expected too much. Even after all that happened a confession isn't easy. He may have even felt that he shouldn't push his luck,"_ Riveria conceded. Still, this was all wonderful and she was hardly going to be upset because the deal hadn't fully been sealed.

"It's possible that he did," she said. "But sometimes people have difficulty saying what they want to, as you just experienced." Aiz nodded. "So, did anything else happen?"

"We hugged," Aiz said bluntly. "And when we were about to leave, Bell called out to me and said that, although he couldn't tell me how he grows so quickly, he would ask Achilles to train with me as a favor to him."

"My my. How generous of Bell."

Aiz nodded happily.

"I hugged him again and then we parted ways and I ran back here."

"I can see why. Things went well. Very well. In fact I could barely hope for more."

"_Minus one important revelation,"_ Riveria thought.

"I am also very happy with how things went. I was afraid he wouldn't forgive me, but he did. He said he could never be upset with me," Aiz

"_I wonder why."_ Riveria thought with a chuckle.

"Well, that's all wonderful to hear. I am very happy for you Aiz and I do hope to hear more such tales of you and Bell in the future."

"I'll be sure to share them."

"Good. Now, I should probably get back to the meeting, I'm sure the others will want to know what all this is about. Don't worry, I'll keep the details to a minimum." Aiz smiled. "You should probably go fulfill your duties, now without the burden of guilt weighing on your conscience. And, maybe when you have time, think a bit more on what Bell told you. You might find some of the information is worth a second or third viewing," Riviera said cryptically before departing, leaving a slightly confused, but still unquestionably happy Aiz, in her wake.

* * *

Three days had passed since Achilles had called for a pause to be placed on Ryuu's bounty and Hestia familia was now standing outside the Dungeon waiting for his return. They weren't the only ones either. Word had gotten out about Achilles's plan to gather 80 million valis in three days and the city was awash with interest in whether or not he'd actually pull it off. Betting pools had sprung up on the subject with nearly equal number betting on each side as the enormous sum seemed impossible to procure in such little time, yet this was the level seven captain of a legendary familia. Honestly, both seemed likely. At one point Mord came up to Bell and asked him whether he thought Achilles could pull it off.

"If he says he can, he can," was Bell's answer. After that, Mord had unreservedly bet a fortune on the ex-captain.

"Do you really think he'll show up?" Lili asked.

"He said three days, four tops, which means he could show up tomorrow and still be within the time he previously set," Bell said.

"You've been listening to the betting pool, Bell-sama," Lili said.

He smiled.

"Hard not to," Welf stated. "Half the city is bet against him pulling it off and the other half are betting that he will."

"I just hope he returns safely," Haruhime said.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Bell said. "The way he talked made it sound like this wasn't the first time he's done this."

"Anyone want to bet that it isn't?" Welf asked.

Everyone smiled knowing it wasn't wise to take that bet.

Mikoto's eyes squinted at something in the distance.

"There he is," she called.

Instantly, Hestia familia turned towards the entrance to the Dungeon and low-and-behold, there was Achilles, walking towards them with a smile on his face.

"Hello everyone," he greeted.

"Welcome back, Achilles," Bell returned.

"Good to be back. Now, where's Ryuu-san."

Said elf walked up to him.

"Hello Achilles-san."

"Hello Ryuu. Turn around," he ordered, twirling his finger.

They all gained confused looks, but Ryuu did as requested.

"Now to check to see if you did as I asked. Pardon me," he said before lifting up the back of Ryuu's shirt.

Lili's mouth fell open, Mikoto covered her eyes while Welf averted his, and Bell, Haruhime, and Ryuu all blushed.

"Good," Achilles said, seeing the Hestia brand on her back. "You fulfilled your side of the bargain."

Ryuu quickly fixed her shirt, her eyes looking anywhere but at her fellow familia.

"You could have just asked, Achilles-sama," Lili huffed.

"I believe my own eyes," Achilles replied simply. "Now, I believe it's time I turn in my magic stones."

None of them could fail to notice that Achilles didn't seem to be caring any magic stones. In fact, he didn't seem to be carrying anything but what he had when he left. Noticing this, Achilles smiled.

"Don't worry, I have them. And I think I managed to collect enough to pay off some of Hestia's debt as well."

The familia shared a look, but decided to trust Achilles. He hadn't failed them yet.

"Alright. Let's go!" Bell said.

The Hestia familia, plus one, made their way to the Guild, many curious eyes watching them all the way. Both Bell and Achilles could hear what was being said around them and it seemed that the anti-Achilles group were prematurely celebrating due to Achilles's apparent lack of magic stones.

"They're going to regret their excitement soon," Achilles said, smiling at Bell.

Finally, they arrived, and found a large number of people waiting outside the Guild, including Loki familia.

"Hello, Finn," Achilles greeted.

"Hello to you as, Achilles," the Loki captain returned. "We heard you had quite the spectacle for us today."

"Absolutely. Come inside and I'll show you."

Achilles walked inside, though not before a certain grumpy puppy dog growled.

"He ain't carrying shit."

They all entered and found Eina, Royman, and an army of Guild workers waiting behind the counter.

"Well Achilles, you better make good on your promise or I swear I'll have that girl arrested right here and now," Royman threatened.

Ryuu backed away, only for her familia to quickly surround her and glare at the fat elf.

"Pleasant as always, Royman," Achilles said. "But yes, I have your magic stones."

Achilles pulled out a single, hand sized coin purse, causing a few chuckles and noises of disbelief to pass through the crowd.

"That's it?" Bete called out, letting out a bark of laughter.

"Shut it, Bete," Tione said, her eyes quickly glancing to Aiz who seemed saddened by the sight.

"I must say, Achilles, I'm sorely disappointed," Royman said condescendingly. "I didn't expect you to pull it off, but this is just sad."

Achilles rolled his eyes before opening the bag and turning it upside down.

Suddenly, magic stones began to pour out of the bag like a waterfall. A pile soon formed at Achilles's feet and grew bigger and bigger, spreading out along the floor, covering more and more of the tiles as if the pile of magic stones had a mind of its own and intended to cover the entire floor of the Guild in its glittering gems.

Everyone's mouth fell open as the pile grew before their eyes. Achilles, for his part, simply held open the bag until the flow of magic stones began to slow and finally stop. He then shook it one last time, causing one last magic stone to fall out.

"There. That should do it," Achilles said.

Taking a look around and seeing the gobsmacked looks, Achilles chuckled and held up the bag.

"Infinite Purse. A rare item that I paid a fortune for. Not really good for anything besides magic stones though, which is why more people don't have them, but it's served me well."

Bell was the first to recover as his shock turned to joy and he beamed at his mentor who gave him a wink.

"Now," Achilles said, clapping his hands while turning to Royman who looked ready to faint. "I believe you have some magic stones to count and some money to give me."

Eina, who was far happier than her superior, smiled and bowed.

"Right away," she said before signalling for the workers to begin counting.

"Moving on," Achilles said turning to the crowd. "Who was talking shit?"

Tione and Tiona were more than happy to make sure everyone knew exactly who as they began to point and gesture towards their fellow familia member who looked anything but pleased by the turn of events.

Meanwhile every member of Hestia familia was smiling brightly, none more so than Ryuu who once again had to get control of herself as tears came to her eyes. Her new familia were quick to comfort her and relieved laughs soon passed amongst them.

While this was going on, Bell happened to see Aiz out of the corner of his eye. Turning to her the two shared a look between them before they both smiled. A fact that was not missed by Riveria who soon grew her own smile.

"What are we at?" Achilles suddenly called out, turning back to the Guild members.

"We're at over ten million valis!" Eina called happily.

"Good. Keep me posted if you'd please," Achilles requested, receiving a nod from the half-elf.

Some time later she called out again.

"Twenty million!"

Excitement began to build in the Guild.

"Thirty!"

Feet began to tap impatiently.

"Forty!"

Nervousness began to grow amongst those who had bet against Achilles.

"Fifty million valis!"

Hestia familia was practically bouncing.

"Seventy million!" Eina called.

Finally, the last of the magic stones were collected, counted, and tallied, and that number was passed to Eina.

Smiling brightly she called out.

"And the total is: 93,460,800 valis!"

Achilles smiled right before a cheer went up from Hestia familia.

Soon, the whole room was filled with noise as excitement, congratulations, elation, and sounds of misery at lost bets filled the air. Achilles soon found himself being hugged by Bell, then by the rest of Hestia familia, including Ryuu who, after some coaxing from Achilles himself, threw herself into his arms, crying tears of relief and joy as her burden was finally lifted from her shoulders.

Once things began to die down, and Ryuu had calmed herself enough, Achilles walked up to the counter and smiled down at Royman.

"So. Eighty million will be going to the Guild to pay off Ryuu-san's bounty," he said gesturing to the blonde elf. "And I'll be taking the rest home. Immediately."

Royman glared at him, but there was little he could do.

"Get him his money," he growled.

"Good piggy."

Royman growled, but was promptly ignored as Achilles turned back to Hestia familia.

"So, roughly thirteen million valis to add to your coffers and pay off some debt. And, more importantly, Ryuu-san is now a free woman, completely and unquestionably."

Hestia familia, all crowded around Ryuu, began to hug her again and she laughed at the affection.

"Now, that all said. I have barely slept or eaten in the past three days," Achilles punctuated this by holding up three fingers. "And I think I deserve both. So first, we celebrate with a feast. One which we can now, unquestionably afford," Achilles said, pointing at the chests of valis which were being deposited before them. "And then I'm sleeping like the dead and no one," he turned to all the Guild. "No one is going to disturb me until I've had my fill of rest or I will call a godforsaken storm down upon their familia!"

Leaving his threat hanging in the air, Achilles turned to Eina, who had walked up to the group, smiling at them and bowing to Achilles.

"Would you like a cart to transport the valis to your home? There is quite a lot here," she said gesturing to the many chests now placed before them.

"Hm. What do you guys think? You want a cart?" he asked.

"That may be wise," Lili said. "Each one of those chests looks like they carry a million valis."

"That's correct. These were specifically designed for that exact measurement," Eina offered.

"So, thirteen chests and some change," Achilles said, quickly counting. "Looks like it's all here. Or, should I say, it better all be here," he turned his gaze to Royman.

"The Guild does not cheat anyone!" he said indignantly.

"Uh huh, they just let big familia like Apollo familia get off scott free after they start a war in the streets," Achilles countered.

"Apollo familia was banished!"

"After they lost the War Game and Hestia ordered him gone. The Guild had nothing to do with it."

Royman fumed, but Achilles was done with him.

"Shall we go home?" he asked his companions who were all very quick to consent to the idea.

The Hestia familia, plus one, left the Guild and were met by the sight of a crowd, some of whom began to applaud as they exited.

"My, it appears we have fans," Achilles said.

"Don't let it go to your head." They turned to find Mia smiling at them.

"I wouldn't dream of it," he replied going up to his fellow ex-captain.

"You did something good for one of my girls, Achilles. I won't forget that. As such, for tonight we," she gestured towards all the Hostess of Fertility workers who were standing behind her, smiling. "Will be cooking for all of you tonight. Free of charge."

"You're giving me a free meal?" Achilles asked in mock surprise.

"Only for tonight, so you better eat your fill because it isn't happening again," she declared.

Achilles laughed.

"Noted. Come on guys, we have even more reason to celebrate now."

Sounds of excitement and approval passed amongst them and they all began their trek back to the Hestia familia manor with quickened steps, booty in tow. Only one was not smiling. A certain gray-haired young lady who knew what was coming.

* * *

The party had been going in full swing for well over an hour with Hestia familia and all their friendly familia happily eating, drinking, dancing, and talking the night away. Achilles was already on his tenth full plate of food and people were beginning to give him looks.

"How can you eat so much?" Lili asked a bit nauseated.

"The same way I can go three days with little to no food or sleep. My first skill: Unrelenting Endurance. Allows me to keep going and going when I need to. I have to eat like an animal to make up for it though," he said while grabbing so more food to pile on his plate. "Funny thing is, I didn't develop the skill from fighting. I got it from studying days on end. You see, my original title was, 'The Historian', because I knew more about history, mythology, and legends than anyone else. Still do in fact," he said taking a bite of food.

"Well...just don't choke. And make sure to leave enough for everyone else," Lili stated.

Achilles swallowed.

"No promises."

Achilles made his way over to a couch in front of a fireplace and sat down, happily munching on this and that as the tension from his body was finally allowed to drain.

"Mind if I join you?"

He looked up and found Bell smiling at him with his own plate of food in hand.

Achilles smiled back.

"Not at all," he replied, patting the spot next to him.

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that you were able to collect more than eighty million valis in three days," Bell said.

"What? Did you doubt me?" Achilles said as if hurt.

"Not for a moment," Bell replied instantly.

"Ah! Come here you sweet talker!" Achilles said, wrapping his arm around Bell and pulling him closer, causing the boy to laugh.

"So," Achilles continued once he'd let the white rabbit go. "What did I miss?"

"Well, I continued training with Aisha."

"Good. Good."

"Ryuu also had the idea of training alongside the other familias we're friends with. We've been doing that for the last few days and things seem to be going well."

"That's an excellent idea. We'll have to continue that once I begin training you all. It'll be good for all of us."

Bell paused. Now came the hard part that he knew would not particularly please Achilles.

"I also talked with Aiz a couple of times."

Achilles stopped eating.

"Oh?"

Bell flinched at the tonal shift.

"She came here the night you left asking me how I grow so quickly."

Achilles eyes narrowed.

"Did you tell her?"

"No." Achilles skeptical eyes made him shift nervously. "Not really."

"Not really?" Achilles now put his plate down.

"I told her that it was because I was in love. That being in love drove me forward. I didn't say anything about my skill."

"But you wanted to."

Bell was silent for a moment but eventually nodded.

Achilles sighed.

"In the end it is your choice if you decide to tell anyone, but it appears you recognize the potential repercussions for that, so I won't give you grief for it. You said a couple times though. What else did you talk about?"

Bell began to shift again, but this time in embarrassed glee, which caught Achilles's attention.

"We ran into each other the next day. She apologized to me and…" he began to practically bounce.

"And…?"

"She said that the girl I was in love with would be lucky to have me, and that she would also consider herself lucky if she was with me."

Achilles quirked a brow.

"Huh."

Bell turned to him with a smile and Achilles was certainly happy for him, but he couldn't help but notice something was missing.

"You couldn't confess could you?"

Bell deflated.

"It didn't seem like the right time."

Achilles looked at the now defeated boy for a couple of seconds before rolling his eyes and ruffling Bell's hair.

"It probably wasn't. So don't be too upset about it. Besides, it sounds like you made a hell of a stride towards your precious Sword Princess."

Bell smiled at that, but only for a moment as he remembered what he'd said to that very Sword Princess.

"I also told her that I'd ask you to train her as a favor to me."

Achilles stared at Bell for a good long while after that, long enough for the poor boy to begin sweating.

"Did you now?"

He nodded.

"I know you don't approve, but I do care for her and I hoped, because you care for me, that you would do me this favor," the young man said.

"_Oh, he knows how to play that game does he? Pouting little rabbit eyes and all,"_ Achilles thought.

"Cheeky little devil," he said. "Alright," he conceded. "Can't say no when you're looking at me like that and asking for a favor. Don't think my heart could take it if I said no." Bell smiled. "But that means you owe me a favor in return. And I'm going to call it in right now."

"What is it?" Bell asked.

"You are going to sit here, while I continue making up for the calories I lost over the last three days, and you're going to tell me all about your childhood so I can know more about you, and also so I can know how much damage that old fart I called my god did."

That was something Bell could live with.

"Deal."

* * *

The party had ended some time before and the members of Hestia familia were all feeling the exhaustion from the hours of partying.

"That was a proper celebration," Welf said, his cheeks a tad red.

"I agree fully," Mikoto replied, her cheeks noticeably more red than his.

"But where did Bell-kun and Achilles-san go? They seemed to disappear early on," Hestia inquired.

"I remember Achilles-san making his way towards a couch with a large plate of food in his hand," Lili said.

So, they went towards where Lili last saw the former captain, only to find Haruhime standing near the couch. Hearing them, she turned, smiling, and put a finger over her lips.

Curious, they silently made their way over to the couch and looked at what Haruhime was so happily staring at. When they did, their hearts melted.

There was Achilles and Bell, the latter with his head on the former's shoulder, sleeping soundly as the elder of the two did the same while leaning on his head.

"I took the liberty of putting a blanket over them," Haruhime whispered.

Everyone nodded.

"Good work, Haruhime," Hestia whispered back.

Then, as if Fate decided it wanted to ruin the moment, the bell for the gate suddenly rang, causing them all to jump.

"What the-" Hestia quickly covered her mouth. Checking on the two, she found them both still asleep.

"I'll go see who it is, Hestia-sama," Haruhime offered, tiptoeing away.

"Who we be coming here at this late hour?" Hestia whispered.

"Maybe someone forgot something?" Mikoto suggested.

They decided to make their way to the entrance and wait for their guest to arrive. A few moments later Haruhime returned looking extremely nervous.

"Ottar of Freya familia," she introduced.

Everyone tensed and watched as the towering boaz walked into the room.

"Good evening," he said. "My lady has something she'd like me to deliver to Achilles and Bell."

That did not sit well with any of them.

"I'll take if for them," Hestia said, holding out her hand.

"My lady specifically asked that I deliver it to them in person," he replied, his voice leaving no room for argument.

Everyone shared a look and prepared for a fight they knew they couldn't win, a fact made evidently clear by Ottar being seemingly unaffected by them.

Haruhime, who had been shaking like a leaf since she first spotted the King, was utterly terrified of what was to come, and so jumped in to prevent it.

"They're this way," she said, gesturing towards the adjacent room.

Everyone turned to her, her familia with concern and confusion, Ottar, with usual stoic calmness. None of this did anything to ease the terror eating at her, but the die had been cast and she needed to act.

She began walking towards the couch, moving towards the front of it, before gesturing to the still sleeping duo.

"As you can see, the two are sleeping, so we would be happy to take whatever it is that you have for them," she offered.

Ottar looked down on the two and, unseen by everyone but Haruhime, smirked.

"_My lady would have enjoyed seeing this."_

Suddenly, he felt as if a pair of eyes were watching him, and he knew that they sight before him was surely making his lady very happy at that moment.

"I see," he said finally. "Then I will leave these here," he said, taking out two invitations and placing them on the table in front of the sleeping captains. "And these are for all of you," he continued, holding out several more invitations.

"What are they?" Hestia asked, taking them.

"Invitations for a party my lady is throwing. She has invited every familia in Orario and would be overjoyed if you all could attend."

Before any of them could respond, he bowed, bid them goodnight, and left, leaving the Hestia familia with a set of invitations in their hands and fear in their hearts.

* * *

Aren't I a tease? Wooh that was a hell of a process. Over 10,000 words! Sheesh, longest chapter yet. I seriously considered splitting this, again, but making four chapters out of what originally was supposed to be one, seemed a bit too much and I powered through, but sheesh! This took effort. Kept having new ideas that I needed to add and fix up, it was borderline maddening. Anyway, I certainly hope you all enjoyed it, even with all the teases I did. If you did, and even if you didn't, please review and tell me what you think. Anything I can improve? Anything I missed? Please tell me and I'll do my best to correct it. That said, thank you once more for reading and joining me on this little adventure and I will see you all next time for Freya's big party! Until then, bye for now.


	11. Chapter 11

Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter for all of you. Thank you all for the reviews, some of you pointed out some things I needed to address, which is greatly appreciated, as are your very kind words. So, really, thank you. Also, I would like to apologize in advance. I do not know Danmachi Sword Oratoria very well. I have seen the anime and heard brief snippets, but overall, I have very little knowledge on the series. I do plan to get my hands on the light novels sometime soon, but until then I ask that you either bear with me or inform me of what I am getting wrong with regards to the storyline. On that note as well, I just want to ask if I'm naming things correctly. I've seen multiple different ways to name people and places, depending on whether it's the light novel, anime, or manga, so, if I'm saying something wrong, or you'd like me to change it, please tell me. Thank you very much in advance. Now, it's time for us to finally get to a certain Goddess of Beauty's party, isn't it? So, off we go.

I do not own Danmachi

* * *

Achilles stared at the invitations silently.

Hestia familia waited nervously for him to say something, unsure of how he would respond.

"Well," he finally said. "It's a trap."

A few of them nodded.

"So we shouldn't go, right?" Hestia said with an air of relief.

"No, we should," Achilles answered.

That got him a few looks.

"She's invited every familia in Orario, our absence would very well noticed. Plus, even if Freya herself doesn't do anything in retaliation, her familia will take it as a slight to their goddess which increases the likelihood of an attack from at least one of them, if not more."

A heavy dose of fear entered their heart.

"Do you think Ottar might?" Bell asked, only increasing everyone's anxiety.

"Hm. It's possible, but I don't think it's likely. While he doesn't appreciate any slight towards Freya, I'm sure he recognizes that we don't want to come and that, strategically, it's probably wise that we don't. And he's probably on thin ice with Freya right now for recent actions. To attack us would not please his lady," Achilles responded. That eased everyone a bit. "But, Freya familia is still filled with many powerful adventurers. Even if I can fight any of them on an individual level, there are still enough of them to, at the very least, hold me down while they go after all of you which, even with Ryuu here, will not end in our favor."

Everyone knew he was right and that didn't sit well with any of them.

"So...we have to go?" Hestia asked.

Achilles nodded.

"It's the only real move we have that doesn't immediately open Pandora's box. She's going to try something, that's unquestionable, but we know that, so we can prepare and keep an eye on her. Hell, we might actually gain some level of information on her, her familia, and her plans. So, if we play this right, we might actually come out the better for it."

"What is the likelihood of that?" Ryuu asked.

Achilles smiled at her.

"Pretty low."

Things were silent for a moment before Hestia sighed.

"Then I guess we'd better prepare for a party," she conceded.

No one was particularly excited by that statement, but they all gave their consent, if only very begrudgingly.

"Alright," Achilles said. "While you're all getting ready, I'm going to go to Loki familia."

"What for?" Hestia asked.

"I need to talk to them about a few things, including this party and a certain favor I've been asked to fulfill," his eyes turned to Bell who gave him a small smile. "We may be able to coordinate our efforts tonight to ensure that whatever Freya's planning doesn't come to pass."

The loli goddess nodded.

"Alright," she said.

"I'll go too," Bell said. "As Hestia familia's captain, it's only right I be there as well."

"Hm," Hestia eyed him skeptically. "You're not just going there to flirt with Wallen-whatisit, are you?"

Bell blushed but quickly shook his head.

"No, of course not!" he exclaimed.

Lili was now also looking at him skeptically, making him sweat. Achilles decided to step in and save his ward.

"Don't forget, I'll be there as well," he said. "Our meeting will be purely professional, if only so I don't have to deal with a doe-eyed Bell stuttering through his sentences."

"Achilles!" Bell cried.

A few smiles and chuckles passed amongst the familia and Hestia seemed satisfied.

"Alright, then I'm tasking you with keeping him in line, Achilles-kun!" Hestia proclaimed.

"As you command, Hestia-sama," he answered, smiling.

* * *

The two captains left the manor and began their trek towards the Twilight Manor.

"So…" Achilles began. "Should we pick up roses, or does Aiz not like those?"

"Achilles!" Bell responded, blushing. "We're going their purely on familia business."

"Well that's not true is it? After all, I am offering to personally train your dear Sword Princess as a favor to you."

"T-That's only partly the reason! We do need to talk to them about tonight," Bell tried to defend.

"Easy there, Bell, I'm only teasing." Bell pouted, causing him to laugh. "I'd have thought you'd be in a better mood given what happened with her yesterday."

"I am happy," Bell responded, an adoring smile coming to his face as he remembered the previous day's event. "But now we have to focus on Freya and this party," he said seriously.

"True. Amongst other things."

The two arrived and found that the Loki familia had, evidently, decided to increase their security and doubled the guards at their gate.

"Not like that would be enough to stop me," Achilles pointed out.

"Morning," Achilles greeted, getting a few nervous glances. "We're here to see Aiz and Finn."

"U-Uh, well, if you'll just wait here," one of the guards said.

"Why don't we walk in together?" Achilles asked.

"Uh...um...that," the guard tried to respond.

"Come on, you can announce us," Achilles said, walking by leaving the guards to scramble after them.

"Achilles," Bell said, giving his mentor a chastising look.

"What? No need to waste time waiting for them to come to us, especially not when we have things to do," Achilles responded.

The group entered the manor, finding it mostly empty. Achilles and Bell were curious about this until they entered the dining area and found most people there eating breakfast. Of course, the sight of Achilles and Bell there had a way of ending their peaceful meal.

"Achilles?!" Loki exclaimed, spitting out her food. "You can't just stroll in here like you own the place!"

"And yet I did. Even brought someone with me," the Zeus captain responded.

As Loki growled Bell caught sight of Aiz and, smiling like a complete fool, waved at her. She smiled back, returning his wave. Riveria, not particularly surprised by Achilles's actions, was able to focus on this and smiled. She was the only one however as the only other person who saw the exchange, growled and went back to eating his food.

"So whatcha want?!" Loki demanded.

"Well, first off," Achilles said turning to Aiz. "I'm here to offer you one-on-one training."

The whole room, minus Riveria and Aiz, was flabbergasted by this, the elf having failed, by some grievous mistake, to mention this tidbit of information to Finn, Gareth, and Loki yesterday. Aiz, for her part, stood up and bowed.

"Thank you very much. I accept and promise to do my utmost best."

"I would expect nothing less," Achilles responded.

"May I ask what brought this on?" Finn inquired.

"A certain someone asked me to train her as a favor."

"Who?"

Achilles gave the prum a 'are you serious' look.

"Hm," his hand fell onto Bell's head and beg to ruffle his hair. "I wonder who could have asked me to do him a favor and train a member of another familia," he pulled Bell to his side causing the young man, and numerous members of the Loki familia to smile. "It really is a mystery. I mean, there are so many people who could ask me that particular favor and, at the same time, know Aiz well enough to ask. Hm, truly a mystery," he finished.

Finn chuckled.

"Alright, you made your point."

"I certainly hope so," Achilles responded, letting go of Bell. "But that's not the only reason we're here. We also wanted to talk about Freya's little party tonight." Seriousness fell over the room. "And I wanted to ask you if you'd come across this before," Achilles said before reaching into his pocket and pulling out an oddly colored magic stone.

The Loki familia tensed.

"That appears to be a yes," the ex-captain stated.

"Why don't we talk somewhere more private?" Finn offered before he and the most senior members of the Loki familia all got up.

"Oh, it's one of those talks. Just what we needed," Achilles said before following after them with a now nervous Bell.

They all entered Loki's office, with everyone taking their usual place, except Bell who, given that this was his first time in said office, placed himself next to Achilles, making sure he was on the side near Aiz.

"Mind starting us off with telling us where and how you found that?" Finn requested.

"A group of caterpillar like monsters attacked me on the fiftieth floor. Once I got rid of them, I discovered their magic stones," Achilles said holding up the stone. "Along with the fact that I was being watched."

"Watched? By who?" Finn asked.

"Don't know. One of them had a mask, the other was a red-haired woman."

Everyone tensed a bit at that, Aiz most of all, which caught Achilles's and Bell's attention.

"It appears you've met her," Achilles said.

Finn nodded.

"We've had numerous encounters with her and she's attempted to kill Aiz in the past."

Bell's eyes widened as he turned to Aiz who nodded, but signalled that she was alright which, though it did not dissipate his concern, did calm down Bell enough to focus back on the conversation.

"Hm," Achilles hummed, noticing something. "You say that like she was focused on her," he turned to the Sword Princess. "She have a personal vendetta against you?"

Tension returned to the room, but only part of it, as Achilles noted that only Loki, Finn, Riveria, Gareth, and Aiz herself, tensed at the question.

"She…" Aiz looked anxious. "Thought I was someone else."

Achilles stared at her for a moment, knowing full well that there was more to that statement than anyone in the room was letting on. But he wasn't here to grill them on the issue, and so, for now, he let it pass.

"Alright," he said, signalling to all that he wasn't going to force any more from the girl. "So she's hostile. About what I figured. Anything else I should be aware of?"

Finn sighed.

"You might want to get comfortable, this might take a while."

Achilles and Bell had listened to the Loki familia's explanation of what happened during their own adventures in silence, though Bell had grown increasingly alarmed at what he was hearing, especially with regards to Aiz.

"Quite the collection of tales you've had recently," Achilles said.

"You could say that," Finn replied.

"A corrupted spirit turned Dungeon boss, that's a new one, even for me," Achilles stated, crossing his arms. "The fact that there's something that powerful hiding in the Dungeon is very troubling, especially given that you've told us it might be connected to this red-haired woman, who apparently has a friend whose identity we don't know. And a crazy resurrected adventurer on top like a cherry. My my, it seems I've been missing out on some fun."

"This isn't some game," Tione said angrily.

"Tione," Finn said, signalling for her to calm down.

"No, no, she's right," Achilles conceded. "I apologize. I was just masking my own concern for this news with a poor attempt at humor. After all, hearing that some of the best adventurers in Orario almost got wiped out by one monster is not exactly news I like to hear in the morning, or any time for that matter."

Tione accepted this and calmed down, as did the others.

"Be that as it may, there's not much I can do right now, except hand over the magic stones in case you want to study them. However, if in the future you are in need of help with this matter, I'll do what I can, assuming of course I'm not needed elsewhere and it's alright with Bell," he punctuated this by turning to the snow-haired young man.

"Of course. Hestia familia will be there to help in any way we can," he said resolutely.

There were a few smiles at this, none of which were more genuine and pleased than Aiz's, though one Loki familia member wasn't smiling.

"Tch. What's a level four going to do to help us?" Bete asked.

Numerous hostile eyes turned to the wolf man.

"A level four on par with most level fives," Achilles pointed out, his voice barely more than a growl. "And I seem to have noticed another level four in this group," he said looking at Lefiya.

"Lefiya's in our familia and has proven herself more than capable," Bete countered.

"Well I'll be. I didn't know you were capable of compliments," Achilles bit back.

Bete began to growl when Bell stepped forward.

"It's alright," he cut in. "He's right to ask," he turned to Bete. "I recognize that I may very be the weakest person here." Achilles looked ready to argue that, but kept silent. "That said, we are still allies and I am still the captain of my familia. As such, it's only right I offer you help in whatever way shape or form that I can."

The speech seemed to impress the Loki familia, getting him a look of astonishment from Lefiya and Tione, and smiles from Tiona, Riveria, Gareth, and, of course, Aiz.

Bete just looked at the boy for some time, trying to gauge whether or not Bell was spouting bull. However, he already knew the answer. The boy was as honest as he was driven, so it wasn't long before he gave off a sound of annoyance and backed away.

"Make sure that you do," he finished.

The room now calm, Achilles decided it was time to move on.

"Well, with that out of the way, there is one last thing I wanted to talk to you all about."

"Freya's party," Loki stated.

Achilles nodded as everyone lost their smiles.

"I take that to mean you're going."

"Like I'd miss a party thrown by Freya. Can't remember the last time she threw one of those," the trickster god said.

"Yes you can," Achilles replied cryptically.

Loki opened her eyes.

"I guess you're right."

The two shared a look for just long enough to make everyone uncomfortable, before Achilles continued.

"Obviously she is going to try something tonight. I suspect that the target is Bell, given recent events."

"You mean the rabbit throwing down the gauntlet to Freya?" Loki said with a smile.

Bell blushed and looked down.

"Indeed," Achilles replied, ignoring the many looks now pointed at his young counterpart. "That would certainly rile her up. Whatever the case or reason though, I hope that I can count on all of you to have our backs for whatever is to come. If not for us, then to make sure we don't fall into her hands."

"Yeah, wouldn't want that," Loki said honestly. "Don't worry we've got you covered. If Freya tries to pull something I'll smell it from a mile away and have my kiddies help you out."

Achilles allowed himself a small smile.

"Much appreciated. Now," he got up. "I need to go buy a tux as, though I would love nothing more than to piss off a few of Freya's kids by coming wearing mud-covered pants." A few smiles grew. "It's probably wise that I wear something at least semi-presentable. Come on, Bell."

"Thank you all for your help, and we'll see you soon," Bell said with a bow, making sure to give Aiz one final smile before departing.

* * *

"Now, I asked around and apparently the best clothing shop for the price is a place in Amor Square. Apparently they do a lot of weddings for adventurers so you get more bang for your valis," Achilles said.

Bell smiled.

"It'll be interesting to see you in a tux, Achilles."

"Yeah well, don't get used to it. For all the 'style' they sure do make them uncomfortable. I mean, who came up with the tie? Honestly! It's a freaking noose! I feel bad for women in high-heels but at least I understand the point to it. What's the point of creating a noose that someone can pull you along by? Was it meant to be some stylized leash?"

Bell laughed as his mentor ranted, going into all the evils of tuxedos, suites, and especially the dreaded tie.

The two found the store readily enough and entered.

"Welcom-!" the woman at the front desk began, but seeing who it was, her voice cut out.

"Hello," Achilles greeted, clearly not bothered.

"We're here to get fitted for some tuxes."

"Oh...um. Right this way," she gestured.

Bell turned to his fellow captain.

"But I already have a tux, Achilles."

"Doesn't hurt to have a second, plus I suspect that Freya is expecting you to treat this as an extra special occasion. Meaning her familia will as well. As such, I want to decrease the likelihood of enraging her familia as much as possible."

Bell, seeing his point, nodded.

The tailor, a friendly looking cat woman, came out and smiled that the two of them.

"So you two are here to be fitted for some tuxedos?" she inquired.

"Correct," Achilles said. "We have an important party to go to tonight and need to look sharp enough for the host not to be mad at us."

"Oh, is this the grand Freya party I've been hearing about?" she asked.

"Indeed."

"Oh, how wonderful. Well then, I must work quickly."

So began the process. The tailor took their measurements and made suggestions here and there, slowly but surely coming up with the perfect design for them both.

"You two are going to look so dashing next to each other," she gushed. "I'm sure even Freya-sama herself will notice you," she said.

"That's not going to be an issue," Achilles stated.

The measurements and planning all done, the tailor informed them that she would have their suites done in a few hours, Achilles making sure to pay extra to place them at the front of her to-do list, and they were free to leave until the appointed time.

Departing from the tailor, the two decided to go for lunch, Achilles suggesting they find something outside of Amor Square lest they risk, 'interesting' rumors circulating about them. Bell, blushing, readily agreed.

The two found a nice cafe and were seated outside, allowing them to enjoy the sun.

"So," Achilles began, after they had ordered. "Things have progressed with Aiz?" he questioned as he pulled a pipe from a pocket.

Bell's blush returned, as did his smile.

"It seems so. I mean, she did say she'd consider herself lucky to be with me."

"As she should," Achilles lit his pipe and placed it in his mouth. "I'm still firmly under the impression you're too good for her, but if she's the one you want, I won't stand in your way."

"Really?" Bell asked, giving him a look.

Achilles exhaled.

"Alright. Maybe I will, if I'm concerned she'll be a risk to your safety. I'm still worried about her obsession, though I will say she gained some points with me when she revealed her familia's plans. That took courage and a level of decency a lot of people don't have."

"She really is a good person," Bell defended.

"I don't doubt that," Achilles responded taking in another breath of smoke. "She seems like a good girl. At the very least she appears too airhead to be dishonest." Bell couldn't really deny that. "But, and I know I'm stepping into territory I have no right to be stepping in, I want you to be with someone who's more than just, 'good'." Bell looked at him curiously. "I want you to be with your perfect match. Your soulmate. Someone who not only treats you right, with the kindness and respect you deserve, but who knows your soul even better than you do. Who can sense when your troubled even when you hide it behind smiles. I want a girl whose very presence comforts you. Inspires you to be better, but never makes demands of you. I want you to be with someone who gives their soul to you so fully that it becomes completely intertwined with yours. And, well, I'm not sure that Aiz is that person. At least not as long as her soul is pulled towards the Dragon."

Bell's eyes widened. The raw, unrestrained, honest hope that Achilles had for him was beyond touching. It brought a couple tears to his eyes, even if he was a bit saddened about Achilles's continued concern over the girl he loved. However, something else came up due to this speech that Bell needed to address.

"And what about you?" the young man asked.

"What about me?" Achilles asked, his pipe taking an inquisitive position.

"Is Freya-sama giving you all those things."

Things went silent for a moment, Achilles's eyes darkening before falling as a smoke filled sighed passed his lips.

"No," he answered. "No she's not."

"Don't you deserve someone like that too?" Bell asked.

Achilles chuckled.

"I'm not sure I do."

Bell frowned.

"Well I am."

Achilles looked up at him.

"I sure you deserve someone that is all those things to you as well. Your soulmate. Your comforter. The person who will know when you're troubled, even when you hide it. The person that inspires you. Comforts you. Who, _does not_, make demands of you," he emphasized this. "You deserve someone who will give their soul to you and intertwine it with yours. _You_ deserve more than good."

Achilles was deathly silent as he stared at the boy. Even the smoke in his pipe seemed to have stopped in midair after Bell's counter. Finally though, a smile appeared and he reached across the table, pulled Bell over and kissed his forehead.

"Honestly, where do they make kids like you?"

Bell smiled back.

"The same place they make people like you," he stated resolutely.

The sound of someone clearing their throat caught their attention. They turned to see their dark elf server standing there, plates in her hands, and smiling at them.

"So sorry to interrupt, but, here are your orders."

Bell blushed furiously and hid his face while Achilles laughed.

"Thank you. Sorry about that," he said.

"Oh don't be," she said, putting down the food. "It's nice to see a father and son getting along so well."

Now both of them were blushing. However, neither felt like correcting the young lady, instead just sharing a shy smile before turning their attention to their food.

The two finished up at the cafe, Achilles making sure to give a large tip to the dark elf, and made their way back to the tailor where said tailor was waiting for them with their tuxes all prepared.

"So? What do you think?" she asked as they looked over her work.

They turned to each other and smiled.

"They're perfect."

* * *

Night had fallen and it was time for the party. The Hestia familia minus Bell and Achilles, had gathered at the entrance.

Everyone was nervous. Whatever Freya had planned for them was certainly not going to be good, but not knowing what it was made it all the worse.

"Alright, everyone just take a deep breath," Hestia said. "Us being anxious isn't going to help anything."

"That's rich coming from you, Hestia-sama. You tap your feet anymore and the floor will crack."

The rest of the familia smiled as the two began to bicker. They were certainly nervous themselves, but the familiar sight of the two going at it helped calm them a bit.

"Sorry I'm late," Achilles called from the top of the stairs. "Haven't worn one of these in a while and I wanted to check in on Bell beforehand."

"Well don't you look spiffy," Hestia said, taking note of Achilles's tux. It was a standard black tux, but with blue trim the same color as his lightning. Normally that might have come off as off-putting, but it seemed only to compliment the ex-captain in such a way as to make him appear more friendly.

"Why thank you. You all look very nice as well."

And indeed they did.

Hestia wore a blue dress, similar to the one she wore to Apollo's party, but a tad more daring, with a long slit on one side to show leg should she feel so inclined, and showing off her back just enough to come off as seductive, but not promiscuous.

Lili wore a lovely hazel dress that showed off her shoulders, but was far more conservative than Hestia's, though no less alluring in the gentleness of its color and tone. Mixed with its frills, it gave off an aura of innocence.

Mikoto was wearing the same dress she had worn at Apollo's party, the lovely purple matching her perfectly as did the shape of the dress, which accentuated certain parts of her figure enough to titillate any self-respecting, red-blooded man.

Welf looked dashing in his own black tux. It was standard fare, but the addition of a scarlet tie and vest did wonders to enhance his charm and there was no doubt a certain smith goddess would appreciate the sight.

Ryuu's dress was perhaps the simplest. A graceful, forest green dress that covered what it needed to, showed what it must, but flowed so as not to hinder any movements. A practical dress for a practical woman, with functional hidden pockets to hide a dagger or two as well.

Finally, Haruhime was wearing a golden kimono that was a sight to behold. More conservative than any of the other ladies' gowns, it came off, not as stiff or pompous, but regal. Like one was seeing the princess of the sun grace them with her presence, gently warming them with her gentle gaze and smile.

"That we do," Hestia said with a smile. "But where's Bell-kun?"

"Right here."

Everyone turned and all eyes widened at the sight, except for Achilles who, having already seen it, simply smiled.

Bell wore a white suit that perfectly matched his hair, with red trim and gloves that did likewise with his eyes. Like Achilles's tux, it was an unorthodox choice to say the least, but the snow white, mixed with powerful, but gentle red, was truly a wonder to behold. Emitting both strength and a purity that few could ever match, it was as if a hero from an ancient epic had arrived to sweep his beloved off her feet and ride off to their shared happily ever after.

"Bell-kun…" Hestia said, her mouth wide open.

"You look amazing Bell-sama!" Lili cried.

"Do I?" he asked nervously. He quickly found everyone nodding with bright smiles. "Thank you."

"We only speak the truth," Achilles said. "Now, I think it's time for this hero and his grand entourage to get on going and see what poison our dear viper has in store for us."

Everyone nodded, a seriousness entering their eyes.

"Then let's be off!"

* * *

The streets were alive and buzzing as the familia rode towards Folkvangr, but they noticed that everything seemed especially abuzz tonight.

"Everyone's excited because Freya's having a party," Achilles explained. "They're taking it as a sign of good luck. After all, the Queen of Orario is in the mood for a party. That can only mean good things."

No one failed to take note of the seriousness in his voice.

"We'll watch over you two," Hestia said. "She won't dig her claws into you."

Achilles allowed himself a smile.

"Thank you."

They arrived at the Freya familia mansion and exited their carriage.

"Wow," Bell couldn't help but say seeing the mansion.

"You can say that again," Welf said.

"Humph, it's too gaudy," Hestia declared.

"I'm not saying I disagree with you Hestia-sama," Achilles said. "But you may wish to be careful with that tonight."

Hestia cooled and soon nodded.

"Welcome," everyone turned to see none other than Allen Fromel walking towards them wearing a get-up that looked more expensive than everything they were wearing put together. "My lady is overjoyed that you accepted her invitation."

"I'm sure she'd also be overjoyed to learn you said that as if you had just drunk poison," Achilles stated.

The catman sneered, but kept his mouth shut.

"If you'll follow me."

The Hestia familia gave each other one final look, before following him, making sure to keep close to each other and their eyes wide open.

They entered the mansion and walked down the halls towards the ballroom. The halls were unnervingly empty, but off in the distance they heard music playing. As they walked it got louder and louder until they were standing in front of a large, beautifully decorated door that seemed to be barely muffling it.

Allen opened the door and a wave of sound and light hit the Hestia familia.

"Show off," Achilles said.

Every familia in Orario had to be before them in the ballroom. Hundreds, nay, thousands of people were eating, drinking, talking, and dancing in an area that was even bigger than Hearthfire Manor. And the ballroom. Everywhere they looked was the most dazzling of decorations. Crystal chandeliers. Silk curtains. Flowers of every color and variety. Statues of perfectly cut marble. It was a palace. One truly worthy of the goddess of beauty and Queen of Orario.

"Holy-," Welf breathed out.

"Uh huh," Achilles responded being the only one who heard him over the noise.

Allen strode forward.

"Introducing, the guests of Honor! The Hestia familia!"

The ballroom instantly went quiet.

"That's unnerving," Achilles said.

They all walked in, feeling thousands of pairs of eyes fall on them as they did so, causing all of them to feel a drip of sweat down their necks. This only got worse as the sound of clicking heels echoed through the room.

Every eye turned to the sound, all knowing who it was without seeing her. The Hestia familia, minus Bell, Achilles, and Hestia herself, all looked down, afraid to be Charmed as the mistress of the house came towards them.

To say that Freya looked stunning was an unspeakable crime for its utter failure to capture the utter beauty that she was at that moment. As if knowing what Bell was going to wear, she had decided on a white dress of the finest silk. Everything about it was perfect. It showed just the right amount of skin, being both tantalizing, yet modest. It fit her like a second skin, hugging her gently, yet somehow never revealing too much. It even somehow seemed to pull light towards it, making her appear as if she was a star descending from the heavens which, when next to Bell's own snow white tux, presented a sight so breathtaking one might very well have thought that this was the very beloved that he had come to sweep off her feet.

"Hestia, I'm so glad you could make it," she said, taking the hearth goddess's hands and kissing her cheeks.

"It's nice to see you as well, Freya. Thank you for inviting us," Hestia replied politely.

Freya turned to her two targets, a shiver going up their spines.

"Achilles. Bell," her smile threatening to drown them. "To have two here brings a joy to my heart that I can't put into words so please, allow me this," she said as she leaned towards them.

The Hestia familia froze as she kissed their cheeks, starting with Achilles who, despite the blush on his face and noticeable tension, remained in control of himself, then to Bell where she made sure to kiss him for an unquestionably lengthier amount of time before pulling back.

"Thank you for inviting us," Bell said, bowing, his cheeks red and heart racing, but nonetheless, holding strong.

"Good evening Freya. You're looking even lovelier than usual," Achilles said, keeping with the polite tone of the conversation.

"I'm so glad you think so. I had to make sure I looked my best for tonight," her eyes turned. "Now, seeing as you've arrived, would do me the honor of dancing with me, Bell?" she asked.

Once more the Hestia familia froze, not liking that invitation for a second. Still, there was little they could do, especially as they hadn't even gotten far enough in to create the excuse of other dancing partners. Knowing that, Bell answered.

"The honor would be mine," he said.

Then, as thousands of gods and adventurers watched with bated breath, including his own familia, Bell held out his hand, which was soon filled with the hand of an enraptured Freya who allowed the young man to lead her to the middle of the now empty dance floor.

Music began to play, a slow waltz, and one perfectly designed to encourage that the partners dancing to it were as close as possible.

And so, with a deep breath, Bell began.

It was awkward, to say the least. Bell, being shorter than the goddess and in no small way intimidated by her, had a hard time taking the lead. Freya, naturally, noticed this and smiled. Seeing the object of her affections so off center and unprotected caused her heart to flutter and she wanted to see more.

Placing her hand on the back of his head, she pushed him into her breasts and held him there, the weakness Bell was feeling at the action having more to do with why he didn't pull away than the physical strength of the goddess.

"Relax, Bell," she whispered. "Just enjoy the moment."

That was easier said than done. However, after taking a deep breathe, Bell managed to calm himself enough to focus and began to dance properly, carrying his partner across the floor in an eloquent and beautiful display.

"_There's that strength I adore,"_ the goddess thought.

Thousands of eyes watched with rapt abandon. Some wondered why it didn't appear that Bell had been Charmed. Others made bets that the poor boy would trip and humiliate himself. Yet others, namely Hestia familia and those allied with them, watched with fearful eyes as the two danced away. And none were more afraid or more enraged than Achilles Caesar, who looked ready to go to war after seeing his ward's head shoved into the goddess's cleavage.

Another person was also terribly concerned, but she couldn't understand why. This person was Aiz Wallenstein who, watching the scene unfold before her, had a terrible sinking feeling in her stomach which, had she been able to vocalize it, would have matched the descriptions of what numerous other ladies were feeling at the moment, watching Bell and Freya dance.

Finally though, after dancing just long enough for sparks to begin flying off Achilles, the two stopped in the middle of the dance floor and looked each other in the eye.

"Thank you, Freya-sama," he said, bowing.

She placed a hand over her heart.

"Oh no. Thank you, Bell-kun," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper.

Clapping suddenly erupted around them, pulling them both back to the real world.

They both looked around, even Freya showing she was a tad startled, before she remembered where she was and laughed.

"It seems we make quite the dancing partners, Bell-kun," she said.

The two walked back to the Hestia familia, all of whom were very poorly attempting to hide their disdain.

"I do hope you'll dance with me again before the night is over, Bell," Freya said.

"If there's time, I would be happy to, Freya-sama," he agreed.

Giving the young captain one final smile, she departed the familia with a wave.

Bell let out a breath.

"You alright?" Achilles asked.

Bell nodded.

"Yes, though my heart is racing."

"I can imagine."

The others chimed in.

"I can't believe it. You're actually immune to Charm," Hestia said with unquestionable shock.

"You let Bell-sama fall into her hands without being sure!" Lili cried starting a spat with Hestia.

"That was certainly something," Welf said, still tense, but happy that everything went alright.

"Indeed," Ryuu said, a bit upset from watching Freya place Bell's head against her chest.

"Gotta say, Rabbit." They all turned to see Loki walking up with her familia. "You really are full of surprises. When my kids told me you were apparently immune to Charm, I thought they'd lost it. But here you are," she said with a smile.

"I guess I'm just lucky," Bell replied shyly.

"Can't argue with that. Though, that luck might actually be a bit unlucky given that half the crowd's been glaring at you since Freya stuffed you in her fun-bags."

A quick look around confirmed that Loki wasn't lying as many eyes were still on the young man and many of them were unreservedly hostile. Bell blushed and quickly hid his head.

"And why shouldn't we be jealous of dear Bell-kun?"

Again, they all turned, finding Hermes, Asfi, and numerous other members of his familia walking towards them.

"Hermes," Achilles greeted. "Been a long time."

"Indeed it has my dear, Achilles. When I heard of your return I was honestly in shock."

"Don't lie. You probably knew of my return before anyone else in this city besides maybe Freya," Achilles countered, clearly used to, and in no mood for, Hermes's games.

"Ah, you wound me, Achilles-kun!" he declared. "However, I am glad to see you're looking after our dear Bell."

Achilles looked back to Bell to find, not only had his blush disappeared, but now he was looking at Hermes with honest to goodness hostility.

Achilles was shocked.

"_Hermes, you are in more trouble than you've been in a millennia."_

"Hello, Hermes-sama," Bell greeted coldly, which no one failed to notice.

Hermes, ignoring the tone, continued to smile.

"And how are you this evening Bell? I imagine quite well after dancing with Freya herself."

"I'm doing fine," the young captain responded, not even a hint of a blush at the mention of Freya. "Freya-sama is an excellent dancer."

Sensing the direction the conversation was going and not wanting the tension to spill over, Achilles decided to intervene.

"Bell." The Hestia captain turned to him. "It looks like the dance floor is now open for everyone why don't you and Aiz go and have a dance? For...comradery purposes."

The mention of Aiz finally snapped Bell out of his anger and he turned to the Sword Princess, freezing when his eyes landed on her.

Her dress was a mixture of light blue and white, as if someone had painted the sky into the cloth which, in turn, made Aiz, with her golden hair and eyes, look like the sun. This charm was only enhanced by the fact that, unlike Freya's dress which acted like a second skin, Aiz's dress seem to float over her like clouds. Never bulky or puffy, but magical, as if nature itself wished to show her beauty to the world. At least that was how Bell saw it.

"A-Aiz-san. Y-You...You look beautiful."

A dusting of red came to her cheeks, though she still didn't understand why even as she shyly looked away.

"Thank you, Bell. You look very nice as well."

The two were silent for a moment, completely oblivious to the numerous looks they were getting. Looks of jealousy from Hestia and Lili. A look of horror from Loki. A pleased looked from Hermes. A genuinely happy one from Riveria. And finally a roll of the eyes from Achilles who was sick of watching the two stare at each other.

Clearly his throat loudly, he caught Bell's attention who, quickly understanding the look his mentor was giving him, blushed, before turning back to Aiz and bowing.

"Would you care to dance?"

Aiz smiled.

"I would love to."

Smiling, Bell held out his hand, which Aiz instantly took and the two turned to join the other dancers.

The two now gone, Achilles's hand shot to Hermes's throat as he lifted him off his feet.

"What did you do?" he demanded as everyone scrambled to regain their bearing at the sight of the adventurer lifting the god off the ground.

"I-," Hermes tried to choke out. "I don't know what you mean, Achilles-san," he tried to play off.

"Bell, perhaps the sweetest, gentlest boy in the world, was glaring at you. That means you did something wrong. Very wrong. You are now going to tell me what."

Hermes looked desperate to placate the level seven adventurer, while the others around them tried to figure out what to do.

"Excuse me." Achilles turned. "Would you mind letting him go?" Asfi requested.

"And you are?"

Asfi bowed calmly.

"Asfi Al Andromeda. I am the captain of the Hermes familia, so I must request you release my god."

"Captain?" Asfi nodded, as did Hermes when Achilles's eyes shot to him. "My condolences."

Asfi sighed, unable to restrain herself and pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Thank you. As you are clearly aware, my god can be very trying. So I would greatly appreciate it if you would limit the amount of work I have to do and not add a hospital visit to my to do list."

"Hm. Well, I certainly don't want to cause you any trouble," Achilles said, putting Hermes down. "Having to deal with him I'm sure is irritating enough. However," he turned back to a now gasping Hermes. "I expect an answer to my question next time I see you."

Hermes, not willing to risk angering the adventurer anymore, nodded.

"_I hope I can come up with a convincing lie before the next time. I'm not sure I'll be able to hide from him. Not if he wants to find me. And,"_ Hermes thought, concern eating at his heart. "_I'm not sure what he'll think of the Xenos, or of Bell for protecting them."_

"Thank you," Asfi said grabbing her god and pulling him away from the irritated adventurer.

"Glad to see I'm not the only god you're pissy with," Loki joked, taking a swig of some wine she had snatched from somewhere.

"Well, in my defense, he's always rubbed me the wrong way with his secretive nature. The fact that Bell's mad at him only serves to make it easier for me to dislike him."

* * *

The party continued on without incident, which in it of itself unnerved everyone. Every last person there that night knew this was all apart of some plan by Freya to get her hands on Bell, Achilles, or both, yet she had remained to the side of the party alongside Ottar, smiling pleasantly. She did not even stir as Bell danced with Aiz, which was more than could be said of Hestia and Lili who took his next two dances, glaring at the Sword Princess the entire time.

Achilles watched it all with a smile on his face, though occasionally turning his gaze to Freya to try and gauge what she was planning. He learned nothing, which he expected, and soon gave up, knowing full well that he wouldn't know her plan until she enacted it.

After his final attempt his eyes fell to a certain renard who now had a far too friendly god hanging off her.

"You truly are a beauty," the god said.

"Um...t-thank you," Haruhime responded uncomfortably.

"Hey, why don't we find a spare bedroom and spend some time together? We gods are very experienced and know how to make an evening very pleasurable."

It looked like blood was about ready to burst out of Haruhime's adorable golden ears, when a shadow fell over them and a terrifyingly strong hand fell on the god's shoulder.

They turned and the god began to sweat.

"Go away," Achilles ordered.

The god was gone within seconds.

"T-Thank you, Achilles-s," she remembered his request. "Achilles."

"My pleasure," he responded. "Now. What are you doing over here by yourself?"

"W-Well...I...um."

Achilles looked at her curiously. It was only when he noticed her eyes darting to the side that he found the answer to why.

Finding what she was looking at, he smiled.

"Why don't you ask him to dance?"

Haruhime's blush grew.

"O-Oh, I couldn't do that. I'm sure that Bell-sama would far prefer to d-dance with Aiz-san."

Achilles looked down at her for a moment, clearly thinking about something, before he spoke again.

"You love him don't you."

Now the poor fox girl looked ready to faint but, with one firm hand on her shoulder, commanding her to stay conscious, she was able to regain control of herself, look up at him, and nod.

"Yes."

He nodded.

"I figured you were smitten, just thought I'd verify. Second question then. Why aren't you going after him?"

She was shocked by the question.

"I-I could never! I mean...he's in love with Aiz-san-."

"And you're in love with him," Achilles stated.

"But I'm unworthy of him."

"Says who?"

"W-Well...I did work as a prostitute."

"I seem to recall the detail of you being far too shy to do anything."

She blushed again.

"E-Even so. Bell deserves someone better than me."

Achilles was silent for a moment before a sigh passed his lips.

"Haruhime." She turned to him. "I can't say that I'm the best person to go to when it comes to romance. I fell in love with the wrong person after all, and regret much of what happened with her. But there's something I don't regret. Trying." She cocked her head in confusion. "I regret the way I acted with her. I regret not listening to other people's advice about her. I regret not thinking clearly and seeing her for what she was and how she viewed me, but I don't regret going after her in the first place. I don't regret that I fell in love and pursued it. Even if things went wrong; very very wrong in my case," he admitted with no small level of mortification. "I would have tortured myself had I never acted. Never tried. The what ifs would have tormented me. In your case, you fell in love with someone you know is good and gentle. A man who saved you when he had no reason to and every reason to leave you to Ishtar and her schemes. Your story won't end like mine has. You may not win his heart, I can't promise you the happy ending I think you deserve," he punctuated this by looking right into her emerald eyes. "But I know you'll torment yourself if you don't at least try. You need to try. And, in case you really need the push, let me tell you something," he leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Out of all the girls around him, you're the one I'm rooting for."

She shot back, eyes wide and mouth opened.

"W-Why?"

"You're the only one who I think will give him what he deserves. You're not jealous or petty. You aren't obsessed with some dangerous goal. And you're not a fool like me. Just very innocent," he said with a smile. "Your intentions are pure and built on affection. You even share a common interest in your mutual enjoyment of legends and heroic tales. I see within you a person that can comfort him when he's worn down. Someone who will gently encourage him to further heights simply because he is inspired by you. With you, I see that potential to intertwine souls that will make a new heroic tale that will last the ages. To put it simply, I think you will make him the happiest."

Huarhime's consciousness was in full retreat. Achilles, seeing this, quickly grabbed her shoulders, snapping her back to the world of the awake.

"Just think about. Please. As a mercy to this old man."

Haruhime stared into his eyes, her emeralds meeting with his sapphires as they poured their feelings into each other hoping to understand the other. Finally, she pulled back.

"I-I...I will try," she swore.

He beamed at her.

"That's all I ask."

The two broke apart, Achilles leaving Haruhime to gather her courage to ask Bell to dance while he found something to eat.

* * *

He was looking over the desert table when an all too familiar voice crawled up his spine.

"I made sure to have plenty of blueberry cheesecake for tonight."

He shivered and turned.

"Hello Freya."

She smiled at him.

"I remember it being your favorite."

"It still is," he admitted.

"I'm glad."

Achilles went over and grabbed a plate and was intent on keeping his mouth filled so as to mitigate the need to talk while also focusing on something besides her. He had a piece ready to do just that when she spoke again.

"What were you and that lovely renard talking about."

Knowing she had done that on purpose he put down the plate with a growl, hearing a quiet giggle emit from her.

"Love," he answered honestly.

"Love?" she inquired, her interest now piqued. "Quite the wonderful topic."

"Indeed."

"Talking about anything or...anyone, in particular?"

"We were focusing on her, as I tried to give her some advice."

"And what advice was that, my dear Achilles?"

She placed herself right next to him, pressing just a bit against him. He found that she wasn't using Charm against him which, he was grateful for, yet her regular charm was more than enough worry him.

"That she should at least try to go after the one she loves. It may not end perfectly, but she'd only be torturing herself with what ifs if she never tried."

"Oh?" Freya's smile grew and she pressed herself against him harder.

He sighed as his knuckles turned bone white.

"I regret much about our so called 'relationship', Freya. I wish I had never fallen in love with you. That is the truth. But so is the fact that I don't regret trying when I did fall in love. The trying wasn't wrong. What I did afterwards was."

His attempts to minimize the pleasure he knew she would take at this utterly failed as radiant joy filled her face at his confession and soon her hand found its way to his cheek where she began to stroke it gently.

"I'm glad you tried as well, Achilles. I still remember how my heart fluttered when you spoke those words to me. Pouring out your soul to me in such a beautifully honest ballad. It was as if you knew the precise words to earn my love and affection."

Achilles growled and he turned on her with hateful eyes.

"Don't. Lie. To me."

"But I'm not lying," she said, her hand never leaving his cheek.

Now he grabbed it and pulled it away.

"If you loved me, you wouldn't have demanded I prove myself to you. Lovers don't do that. Lovers, _love_ each other for who they are."

"You needed a push to fulfill your true potential. It was because I loved you that I did that."

"I did not need a push. I would have done all I did anyway because I wanted to impress you. To bring you joy by seeing me succeed. To show you how much you meant to me as I pushed myself harder and harder to be the person I thought you deserved. The fact that you demanded more and more from me proves you didn't love me."

"As I seem to recall you asked me what it would take for you to be my one and only."

Achilles's gaze dropped as he bit his lip.

"You're right," he admitted. "You're absolutely right. I wanted you to myself. I was jealous of the idea of others having you. Heaven above, perhaps that means I never really loved you," had he been looking at her, he would have seen the flash of shock in Freya's eyes. "Love requires trust, and jealousy is the antithesis of trust. I shouldn't have made that request. I should have simply proven myself and earned your sole, undivided love. In fact," he looked her in the eye. "I'm sorry I made that request. I shouldn't have, and I apologize." Now he did see her surprise, but was far too wrapped up in his thoughts and feelings to care. "But you shouldn't have made that demand either. We were both in the wrong. Yet another reason we should end this farce."

He turned away to leave, only to have her wrap her arms around him, stopping him in his tracks.

"Oh Achilles. So much strength and so much pain. Both pull me towards you as I find myself desiring your strength and wishing to soothe your pain."

He found himself almost choking on his words as he responded.

"Freya, if you want to soothe my pain then release me."

She knew he wasn't speaking on her arms wrapped around him.

The goddess was silent for a time, unnerving Achilles as he hoped beyond hope that she would finally grant him mercy.

"One dance," she said. "Dance with me one time and, if I can't soothe away your pain, I will release you."

All rational thought screamed at him not to take her bet. This was it. Her play of the evening. He knew that, and his mind screamed at him to pull her arms off of him and walk away from her. But it was too tempting an offer for his desperate hope to ignore.

"One dance."

The two made their way to the dance floor. Seeing the two, all other partners immediately left, allowing the two to take the entire floor. Soon, all eyes were once again on the goddess of beauty and her partner as everyone recognized that this was what Freya had been building up for. This was when she would enact her plan.

Hestia familia, seeing the two enter the dance floor, quickly grew concerned, sharing alarmed looks between each other and trying to figure out what to do. Their allies were doing little better as Hephaestus felt a nervous pin poke her heart, Miach and Takemikazuchi shared a nervous look, and Loki downed her drink and declared.

"Idiot."

Freya held up her hand to give the signal.

The moment the music started playing, Achilles's heart shattered.

"You are a cruel woman," he said, his voice barely managing a whisper.

"This was your favorite song," she said as the melody passed through the air.

"It was," he said, his voice dead and hollow. "It was once so joyful and filled with life, hopes and dreams. Now though," he looked her in the eyes. "Now it's cold and miserable."

She stared into his eyes.

"Then let's make it joyful again."

They began to dance.

One step. Then another. Then another. All in perfect unison. It was honestly quite dazzlingly. The two matched each other in a way that few dancers have ever managed. It was as if they were synced, mind and body; an unnerving idea for all those who were close to the ex-captain.

The two continued to dance, oblivious to all those around them as they moved around the dance floor.

"Isn't this nice?" Freya asked, placing her head against his chest.

His grip on her waist tightened.

"You're killing me, Freya," he whispered. She looked up. "You're killing me," his eyes, glassy with tears, met hers. "And if you really love me like you say you do, you'll stop hurting me like you are right now."

The music ended, prompting them to stop.

"I haven't soothed you?" she questioned.

"No," he said, unable to look her in the eye. "You have lost the bet," he finished and turned.

"Then let me try this."

Then, before anyone could react or stop it, she pulled Achilles toward her, brought his head down, and kissed him.

A gasp went through the room followed by a growl from Loki.

"Idiot."

The moment that her lips touched his, Achilles felt every ounce of her Charm fall upon him. In the best of circumstances he would have been hard pressed to resist her, but these were far from the best of circumstances. As such, within moments, his hands came up and cupped her cheeks as he kissed her back.

The kiss was long and passionate. A show of dominance as Freya's plan was fulfilled, showing all not only her own power, but the new power she had just acquired as, in a single moment, she turned the ex-captain of the legendary Zeus familia, the Olympian, survivor of the One-Eyed Black Dragon, the first level seven, and the guardian of the Hestia familia, into her willing slave.

"Now," she said pulling back, a trail of spit keeping the two connected. "Do you feel better?"

"Yes, Freya-sama," he said, his voice now devoid of his usual fire.

"Then, you wouldn't mind telling me...who do you love?"

"You, Freya-sama. You, and only you. Now and forever."

Fear filled the hearts of the Hestia familia.

* * *

What's this? A cliffhanger. How dare I! Wait...Anyway. I hope you enjoyed that. I did, though got to say, there were more than a few points where I had to stop and think about what I wanted to do here. I had an outline all planned, but I kept thinking up new stuff that I liked and wanted to add that kind of messed that up and brought the flow to a halt. Oh well, thus is one of the challenges of writing. All that said, I do really hope you guys enjoyed it. If you did, or even if you didn't please send me a review and tell me what you think. Share your thoughts and concerns so that I may know what I missed and so I may improve and make an even more compelling story. With that, I think I've rambled on enough, so I'll sign off her and bid you all a fine farewell. So, until next time, bye for now.


	12. Chapter 12

Hello everyone! Well, I couldn't just leave another cliffhanger like that...hanging...could I?! Anyway, many of you seemed upset with me for leaving you and our characters like that and gave me some good criticism for things I legitimately missed so, thank you for that. I do my best, but I do often miss things and points of view so it's important to hear from the audience. Now, all that said, I think it's about time we resolve the scene. So, let's go.

Oh, and we've made it 100 reviews! So, thank you very much for that! Now onto the story.

I do not own Danmachi

* * *

Every eye watched as Achilles and Freya entered the dance floor. Most watched with interest and barely concealed anticipation, but there were some whose eyes held little more than worry and fear.

Hestia familia, alongside, Miach, Takemikazuchi, Hephaestus, Loki, and Hermes familia, all watched the two with bated breath. They understood that whatever Freya was planning was soon to be revealed.

"Idiot," Loki growled, knowing full well that Achilles had put himself into the situation. "Get ready," she told Finn.

The prum captain nodded and, with a quick look to his familia, they all got ready to intervene.

Hestia was shaking as she watched the two take their places.

A hand on her shoulder caused her to turn and she found Hephaestus smiling down at her.

"It'll be alright," the smith god reassured.

Hestia, appreciating the gesture, nodded and turned back to the dance, but both knew Hephaestus was only trying to comfort her. Neither could promise that this would, indeed, end up alright.

"What should we do?" Lili asked her fellow familia members.

"What can we do?" Welf replied. "If we intervene that may enrage Freya familia."

"But surely there's something we can do," Mikoto stated desperately.

"The best we can do now is prepare," Ryuu said, reaching for one of her hidden daggers.

That statement itself felt like a near admission of defeat to them, but there truly was little else they could do but prepare, hope for the best, and pray the worst didn't happen.

"Bell-sama?" Haruhime asked, turning to the captain. He was simply standing there, looking at the two. "Bell-sama?"

"She's hurting him." They all turned to him. "She's hurting him badly."

Turning again, this time towards Achilles, they soon saw what Bell saw. The terrible look of pain on the former captain's face as he looked down at the goddess. A look that only intensified when the music began to play.

"He's...he's crying," Haruhime recognized.

"Yes he is," Bell said, as his knuckles bled white.

The two began to dance and everyone waited for something, anything to happen. For Freya to make a move. For Achilles to pull away. Something. But nothing happened. They just kept dancing.

The dancing itself was beautiful. Almost too beautiful in a way. The sight of the adventurer and the goddess moving in such rhythmic perfection was unnerving to say the least and it wasn't long before Finn was biting his thumb. The only one amongst the Hestia alliance that seemed completely composed was Bell, who, the second he'd seen the unshed tears of his mentor, had grown eerily quiet. This alone would have normally been a concern to his familia, but there was something far worse that only they were close enough to see. For all others present, it would have appeared that Bell was simply waiting patiently for the dance to end, but for Hestia, Lili, Welf, Mikoto, Haruhime, and Ryuu, who were close to him and knew him well, they could see what others couldn't. And right now, they saw the young man glaring at Freya with fightful intensity.

"_Bell-kun/Bell-sama/Bell-san/Bell,"_ they all thought together as the sweet boy poured out hostility towards the goddess.

Finally, the dance stopped and the two partners looked at each other.

"I haven't soothed you?" Freya asked.

"No," Achilles responded, a miserable exhaustion having fallen over him. "You have lost the bet," he finished and turned away.

"Then let me try this."

Everyone's eyes widened as they saw the goddess grab Achilles and pull him towards her.

"Shit," Finn growled.

"No," Hestia said.

Haruhime's hands flew to cover her mouth.

But it was too late. Freya's lips found Achilles's and her Charm proceeded to drown him.

"Idiot," Loki growled again, knowing full well what had just happened and how bad things had suddenly gotten.

The entire room was silent when the two pulled back, staring each other in the eyes.

"Now, do you feel better?"

"Yes, Freya-sama," Achilles said, his voice devoid of personality as though he was drunk or in a daze.

"Then, you wouldn't mind telling me...who do you love?"

"You, Freya-sama. You, and only you. Now and forever."

That was the nail in the coffin. That was when Hestia, Hephaestus, Miach, Takemikazuchi, Loki, and Hermes, along with all their familia, knew they'd lost. All of them, except one.

"And now," Freya declared. "You are where you belong. The Olympian," she turned to the crowd. "Is home."

No one knew how to respond. Did they clap? Did they congratulate the couple? Did they make a full on retreat given how the Freya familia now had the only two level sevens in existence and were now the unquestionable rulers of Orario? All those questions and the many others that had sprung forth the moment she had captured her prize would have to wait as Freya turned towards the other object of her affections.

"Do you see, Bell-kun? How happy he is? How at peace? Years of pain gone. I can give you that and so much more. Come to me. Come to me and I'll give you everything you could ever desire. I will make you happier than anyone else ever could. Come to me, Bell-kun."

Before Bell could respond, he was surrounded by his familia and all their allies.

"I won't let you take him!" Hestia declared.

"You'd force him to stay against his will?" Freya asked innocently.

"That's rich coming from you," Loki said, stepping forward. "You think we don't recognize Charm when we see it?"

"I only sought to ease his pain. If that meant using my power, that was something I was willing to do. In fact, I see it as my duty as the one who loves him, to use it," Freya brushed off.

Loki almost laughed at that.

"Love? Right. Well, just because that dolt fell for your tricks doesn't mean we're going to allow you to take the rabbit as well."

"If he wants to come to me, by what right do you have to stop him?" Freya asked.

Suddenly, numerous members of Freya familia appeared, armed and armored. Ottar himself, though unarmed, took his place next to his mistress.

"So that's how it is," Loki growled.

Freya continued to smile.

"That's how it is."

Everyone in the room found themselves suffocated by the tension that had fallen over them. The two most powerful familia were now inches away from going to war with each other and no one was sure how it would end if they did. Loki familia itself was very powerful, and they were now backed up by numerous other familias, including Hephaestus familia, which wasn't anything to sneeze at. But they faced Freya familia, the most powerful familia in Orario, now reinforced by the addition of the legendary Olympian himself. Had they not been within range of the potential war themselves, there is no doubt that many of the gods and goddesses would have delightfully been making and taking bets on the carnage to come.

"Hestia." Everyone's attention shot to a certain white-haired, rabbit-like young man. "It'll be alright," he said with a smile.

"Bell...kun."

Slowly, he moved passed them, all eyes widening in alarm. As he was just about to leave his wall of protection, Welf grabbed him.

"Bell, please don't do this," he pleaded.

Bell smiled at him.

"It'll be alright."

Gently prying himself from his older brother figure, he walked towards the Freya familia.

Hestia looked absolutely heartbroken and actually fell to her knees as her strength evaporated. The others were faring no better. Like Welf, they suspected that Bell was sacrificing himself to prevent a war. To protect them. That was the kind of person he was after all.

"Bell-sama!" Lili cried, trying to rush to him.

"Lili!" Welf screamed and he grabbed her and pulled her back. He did so just in time, as the prum brothers of Freya familia appeared before them.

"Don't interfere," they ordered.

Lili glared at them, tears streaming down her face as she tried, in vain, to break away from Welf.

Bell continued to walk towards the Freya familia as if unaware of everything going on around him. That was until another familiar voice cried out to him.

"Bell!"

Everyone's eyes shot towards the speeding mass of blonde hair that now was aiming directly for Bell. However, before she could reach him, a mass of pure muscle appeared in her path and grabbed her.

"Do not interfere, Aiz Wallenstein," Ottar ordered.

Trying, and failing, to pull herself free, Aiz cried out again.

"Bell!"

"Aiz-san." Everyone turned and saw Bell, still smiling. "It'll be alright," he said again, before turning back and continuing towards the Freya familia.

"Bell," the Sword Princess said breathlessly, a fear unlike any she had never felt before filling her heart.

Finally, he arrived before Freya and Achilles, both of whom were smiling at him.

"Welcome, Bell," she said.

However, Bell wasn't looking at her, only at Achilles.

"I know this is a lot to take in, Bell," Achilles said, as if embarrassed, his voice still holding none of the fire it normally did. "But I was wrong. We can be with Frey-."

Bell held out his hand.

"Let's go home, Father."

Everything stopped, except for the sounds of shock and surprise that passed through the air, including more than a few spit-takes.

Achilles's eyes widened.

"W-What?"

Bell smiled.

"You've had a long night, so I thought it would be wise for us to go home."

Achilles stared down at him as a fire began to burn ever more brightly in his heart.

"I-."

"Achilles?" He turned to Freya who, placing her hand on him, looked at him curiously.

Her Charm began to flow through him, dampening the new fire but, as if seeing the flame itself began to weaken, Bell called out again.

"Father." Achilles's eyes shot back to him. "Come on. The others are worried sick about you and you look quite out of it right now. Let's go home and get some rest."

Achilles felt as if he was being pulled apart. He could feel his heart being pulled in two separate directions, both whispering gently to him to be with them.

His eyes went back to Freya, who looked even more confused, but only for a moment, as she soon, her eyes widened as she recognized what was happening.

"_That can't be."_ she thought.

Charm flooded his senses, causing him to nearly choke. Yet, the flame that had been awoken did not die.

Slowly, painfully, he turned back to Bell. His breath caught as he saw the smile the boy was giving him. It was not fake nor demanding nor was it desperate. It was a genuine smile from the boy who now, honestly, thought of him as a father.

The fire in his soul roared as the thing he wanted most in his life: more than killing the Dragon; more than seeing his familia again; more than Freya, stood before him, smiling and offering him his hand.

He began to reach out his hand.

"Achilles," Freya said, her voice now laced with shock. But he didn't stop, even as her Charm grew stronger and stronger.

Not a sound passed through the whole ballroom as everyone watched as Achilles's hand reached closer and closer towards Bell's. Even Freya found her voice nearly lost to her.

"Achilles," she whispered.

He turned to her.

They stared into each other's eyes. Her possessive adoration and shock to his desperate resistance. But, soon, that fire which had been so forcefully snuffed out and so desperately suppressed, roared to life and filled his eyes.

"We're done," he said.

His hand found Bell's and, smiling as brightly as the sun, the young man pulled him away from the goddess of beauty.

A gasp passed Achilles's lips as he nearly fell over onto Bell, all his strength gone from the ordeal.

"You're alright, Father. You're alright," Bell said.

Everyone was in shock. How couldn't they be? The impossible had just happened. A man, a mere human, one who was in love with Freya and had been for years, had just been pulled out of a Charm-induced madness by a boy less than a third of his age. A boy who only half a year ago, no one in the whole Orario knew, and who now declared him to be his father.

"What is this kid?" Loki asked out loud. None answered. Even if they had heard her, none could have given her an answer for they were as lost as she was.

"Come on," Bell said, not caring about anything that was happening around him. "The others are worried about you."

With that, he began to walk Achilles back to the Hestia familia, past a shocked Ottar and Aiz, the latter of whom he spared a moment for to give her a smile; past Loki and the prum brothers and finally to his familia.

"It appears…" Achilles began, trying to catch his breath. "I owe you all...an apology."

A sudden joyous cry went up as Hestia threw herself around the two boys, crying happily now that they were both alright and back in her arms. The rest of Hestia familia was not far behind as they began to laugh and joined her in wrapping themselves around the two, relief pouring out of them in waves.

Hephaestus, Miach, Takemikazuchi, Hermes, and many other gods smiled at the sight, relief filling them as well, as both Achilles and Bell returned to Hestia familia.

All were so focused on the scene with Hestia familia that they failed to notice what was happening with Freya.

"_He...he broke free from me. He...broke through Charm. With Bell's help."_

Most would have been devastated by this loss. To have their plans destroyed in front of their very eyes by an X factor that had come out of nowhere to inexplicably ruin everything. But Freya was not most. As such her reaction, instead of being that of disappointment, frustration, or unrestrained rage, was that of utter euphoria.

"_To think that these two possessed such strength when together! By themselves they were powerful. Shining like the sun in a sea of mediocrity, but together-"_ a shiver wracked her body. "_I dare say they may be invincible!"_

"My lady?" She turned to see Ottar was now by her side. "Are you alright?"

She smiled blissfully at him.

"I am, my dear Ottar. In fact, I don't think I've ever been better."

Ottar was surprised by this. He had known of his lady's plans, naturally, and seeing them so totally fall apart had worried him as he feared his goddess would have been saddened or otherwise disturbed by the turn of events. He wondered what he should do. Whether he should intervene to prevent the return of Achilles to the Hestia familia. But to do so would risk harming Bell who, though he now felt a tinge of anger at the boy for ruining his lady's plan, was still Freya's object of affection and thus, was off limits. But all this concern turned to smoke after he saw her smile and heard her words. Relief filled him and soon, he smiled, realizing he should never have doubted his goddess.

"How…," Hestia tried, tears in her eyes. "How did you do that, Bell-kun?"

"I didn't do anything. I just had faith that Achilles would come back with me," he answered honestly.

Achilles, joyful tears in his eyes, pulled his newly found son to him and kissed his head before hugging him.

"Thank you. Thank you," he said into Bell's shoulder.

Everyone smiled at the scene until Loki cut in.

"Sorry to ruin the moment but, we might want to make a hasty retreat," she suggested

"Not yet," Bell said his voice devoid of all his previous merriment and tenderness. He pulled away from Achilles, who, still needing support, was soon leaning on Welf and Ryuu. "There's one more thing I need to do."

The seriousness of his tone was striking given his happy attitude of mere seconds before, but no one stopped him as he turned and made his way back over to a certain goddess of beauty.

Staring directly into her eyes with unhidden hostility he said.

"You broke the deal."

She kept smiling.

"I did," she admitted, seeing no need to deny it. "Achilles-kun was in pain and I sought to soothe him."

"By Charming him?"

She nodded.

"Indeed. I used my power to focus his mind, not on his pain, but on his love. Specifically his love for me and, as you saw, it worked."

Bell's eyes turned into a full blown glare.

"I saw someone in pain. A pain that I then saw you exploit and turn against him so that you could bend him to your will."

The ferocity of his tone was a sight to behold. Few had ever seen Bell like this and those that had still found themselves in shock, if only because of who his target was. But Bell wasn't done.

"Let me tell you something, Freya-sama," he stated firmly. "Today, Achilles and I went to a cafe. While we were there we began to talk about the girl I love." Those around Achilles turned to him, curious where this was going. He, however, just kept looking at Bell, already knowing. "And do you know what he said to me?"

"I would love to," Freya answered.

"He said that he didn't approve of my choice. And this wasn't the first time either."

Riveria, who was off to the side, felt her heart clench at this and her eyes turned to Achilles, who felt her gaze, but kept looking at Bell. His reasoning would soon be revealed.

"The reason was because, while he admitted she was a good person, he said he wanted more than 'good' for me. He wanted me to have my perfect match. My soulmate. The person that treats me with the respect and kindness I deserve. He wanted me to be with someone who will sense when I'm troubled, even when I hide it, because they know my soul even better than I do. He wanted me to be with someone whose presence comforted me, inspired me, and whose soul intertwined fully with mine."

Nearby, a certain renard felt her eyes widening as these words sounded very familiar.

"_He...he couldn't have meant..."_

Haruhime's head shot to Achilles who, for the first time, turned his head just enough to give her a tired smile.

Her hand went to her heart.

"_Oh."_

"And," Bell continued. "He wanted someone who never made demands of me. And you know what I said, Freya-sama? I told him that I wanted the same thing for him. I wanted all those traits to be in the person he loved. All those things which _you_ are not giving him. Which means, that I do not approve of you."

He took a deep breath.

"You have broken the terms of the deal I presented to you by using Charm on Achilles. You have hurt someone I care very much for while also showing a level of dishonesty that, to put simply, upsets me a great deal. You have shown you are willing to manipulate, lie, and inflict injury on anyone to accomplish your goals, even someone who you profess to love. I find that unforgivable. And," now his eyes burned with rage. "If you ever hurt anyone I care about like you did today again, I will make it my goal to personally send you back to Heaven."

A glass shattered on the floor as nearly every god and adventurer in Orario finished watching Bell Cranel, the Rabbit Foot, level four captain of the Hestia familia, and all around one of the kindest people one could ever meet, threaten Freya, goddess of beauty, Queen of Orario, and leader of the strongest familia in the Labyrinth city.

"You little-!" Allen Fromel cried, grabbing his spear and preparing to launch himself at the white rabbit.

A blur of blue light shot towards Allen faster than anyone could see, grabbing the catman by his head and slamming him down into the floor hard enough to create a crater.

"No one...touches..._my boy_," Achilles declared, sweating and breathing heavily.

Allen, who had barely maintain consciousness at the sudden attack, tried to force Achilles off of him, only to stop the second he saw Achille's piercing eyes glaring down at him.

"_Give me the excuse,"_ they dared.

"_Don't,"_ the memory of Ottar said. "_He will kill you."_

Now Allen understood, truly, that this was no lie. He had attempted to wave it off before. Excusing previous actions with statements of his being cautious or smart, but now he understood, well and truly, that if he tried to fight this man, that the ex-captain would kill him and probably do so far more easily than the Freya servant's pride could handle.

"Dad." Achilles turned to Bell. "You can let him go."

Achilles nodded, giving one final glare to the cowed kitty beneath him before stumbling his way back to Bell and the Hestia familia.

"I don't pretend to know nearly as much as you gods or to understand the world nearly as well, "Bell said after bringing Achilles back to his familia. "But if you're goal was to win us, Freya-sama, this was the exact wrong way to do it."

"Perhaps. But then again, I would never have gotten to see this marvelous display had I not tried things this way."

Bell stared at her for a moment, his eyes piercing hers in a way that sent a pulse of delight through her, before making his reply.

"Then, by all means try again. We'll be sure to create another such display for you."

With that, he turned away, helping Achilles away alongside his still stunned, but nonetheless happy and relieved familia and their allies.

Freya smiled as she watched them leave.

"Oh, you can be sure I will, Bell-kun."

* * *

Everyone had made it back to Hearthfire manor and were now in the living room where Achilles and Bell were sitting on a couch, the former of which while looking terribly ill.

"Will you be alright, Dad?" Bell asked, worried.

"Of course I will, I gained a son tonight," he said with a smile.

Everyone smiled at this, except for Loki, who rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, might have mentioned he was adopted before causing me to spit my drink out."

"Maybe you should drink less," Achilles quipped back.

Loki stuck her tongue out at him.

"If he's up for banter, he'll be fine," Riveria stated.

The sound of the front gate bell ringing caught their attention.

"I'll go see who it is," Haruhime said with a smile.

"Take Welf and Mikoto with you. We don't know who it'll be," Hestia ordered.

The two nodded, and joined Haruhime to see who had arrived.

"Still, can't believe you threatened Freya herself, Rabbit-kun," Loki said with a smile. "Pretty ballsy."

Bell blushed and looked down.

"I was really mad and wasn't thinking straight. I just wanted to make sure she wouldn't try it again."

"Well it's certainly clear you weren't thinking straight, but can't say I'm mad. Not everyday you see someone, let alone one of our kiddies threaten Freya," the clown god said.

"Well, I call it brave!" Hestia declared. "And it makes me fall in love with Bell all over again!" she said as she threw her arms around him.

A few chuckles passed through the group, with a single growl coming from Lili who quickly threw her arms around Bell as well.

"I am Ganesha!" a certain god suddenly declared from the other room.

"I wonder who that could be," Achilles joked.

Haruhime, Welf, and Mikoto entered the room with Ganesha who was joined by his captain, Shakti.

"Evening Ganesha. It's good to see you again," Achilles said genuinely.

Seeing the state of the former captain, Ganesha dropped his persona.

"How are you, Achilles?"

"Well, I feel like someone just held my head under water, allowing me just enough air not to drown, but never fully regain my breath. So, all things considered, not so bad."

His attempt at humor failed, which he quickly noticed, seeing the frowns.

"I'll be fine, Ganesha. Really. I've been in far worse situations without nearly the same amount of support," he punctuated this by pulling Bell in close and leaning against him.

Ganesha nodded.

"You will have my support as well. I've talked with the Guild and we're in agreement; Freya's gone too far this time. Trying to get her hand on another level seven is too much. If she wants to try and become 'Queen of Orario' she'll have to get past a united Guild and Ganesha familia."

That bit of good news seemed to relax some of the tension in the room.

"I'm surprised Royman would agree to that. Figured he hated me too much," Achilles said.

"It probably helped that I didn't go to Royman," Ganesha said.

Achilles looked at him.

"Ouranos?"

The god nodded.

"After I explained the situation he was willing to pledge his support."

"He never was a fool. He probably saw the potential for disaster if Freya got too powerful. But, speaking of support, I don't think I've been introduced to the lovely young lady next to you."

"Ah, yes, of course!" Ganesha said. "This is Shakti. She is the captain of my familia," he said proudly.

"Nice to meet you," Achilles said holding out his hand.

Shakti shook it.

"This actually isn't the first time we've met," she said.

"It isn't?"

She shook her head.

"No. We met, briefly, twenty years ago. Your familia kindly offered to train some of us from Ganesha familia. I was a level one at the time and didn't know a thing. You went around greeting everyone with a smile before showing us the ropes. I don't think I would have gotten so far without your help, but I wouldn't expect you to remember me of course."

"Hm, well I do remember that day. Ganesha was even more excited than normal," he said with a chuckle. "But I'm certain you couldn't be there because you couldn't be a day over twenty yourself."

Shakti blushed lightly.

"I'm thirty-eight," she said.

"Really now?" She nodded. "Well, then you're certainly aging better than me."

"You don't look a day over thirty, Achilles-san."

"See, that only proves it. Though, to be fair, I am fifty-five now so I suppose looking thirty isn't so bad. Now if only I could feel like I'm thirty," he said as he leaned back into the couch with a groan.

"I'm sure with a proper night's rest you'll be running circles around these youngsters again in no time," Shakti countered.

He laughed.

"You and I are going to get along just fine. Don't work her too hard Ganesha. She knows how to give a proper compliment."

More chuckles filled the room.

"Only if you promise not to get yourself into more situations like this."

"I'm going to interpret that very narrowly as 'don't let Freya Charm you again', in which case, you have a deal. Now," he got up. "If no one minds, I need to get some rest given that I still plan to be training all these youngsters tomorrow, and yes, that includes you as well Aiz," he said. "As such, sleep is a necessity."

"Are you sure that's wise, Achilles-kun?" Hestia asked. "We would all understand if you need time to recuperate."

Everyone in the Hestia familia nodded.

"No, it's alright. Training will probably do me more good than an extra day of rest. And feel free to join us as well, Shakti-san. Maybe you and I can show these youngsters how we old-schoolers do things."

"I may take you up on that offer," she replied.

"Excellent. Now, I bid you all thank you for today and good night," he turned to Bell and bent down to kiss his forehead and hug him tightly. "Thank you...Son."

"No need to thank me, Dad."

Achilles felt tears in his eyes as he hugged Bell. He wanted to keep hugging him, to pour his feelings of joy and belonging into the young man, but knew he needed his rest and didn't want to embarrass him anymore than he already had.

"Good night," he whispered, before pulling away and walking out of the room to head for bed.

Everyone watched him go with smiles on their faces, none of which were brighter than Bell's.

"So…" Hestia said with a teasing smile. "Should we start calling you Bell Caesar?"

* * *

And finished. Alright, I know this one was shorter than most characters, but I hope you'll all forgive me that. Next chapter should be longer. I also hope that this was made up, at least a little for my little cliff-hanger. I'll try not to do that as much in the future since you all didn't seem to appreciate the teasing. Anyway, that segways into me now asking you what you thought of this chapter. Like it? Hate it? Please tell me and ways you think I may be able to improve. I do this because I love to write, but I do want to get better, so reviews are welcome. All that said, I think I'll sign off here so, until next time, bye for now.


	13. Chapter 13

Hello good people. Well, it seems you all were quite happy with Freya getting some comeuppance, and with Achilles and Bell becoming father and son, both of which make me quite happy. All that said, it's time for another chapter so we can spend some more quality time with our cast of heroes. So, let's get started.

I do not own Danmachi

* * *

He was face down in the dirt, the smell of blood and smoke in the air.

He had given this fight everything he had. All the strength in his body. Every spell in his arsenal. And still, he'd lost. Worse yet, his familia, once the pride and joy of the world, was now obliterated.

He watched every last one of them fall. Some were burned. Others were torn apart, what remained of them being scattered across the battlefield; and still others had been consumed, in piece or whole, leaving behind nothing but a spray of red rain and a feeling of horror and disgust.

That last thought filled him with enough rage to where he was able to pull his head up and glare at the one responsible.

The Dragon, triumphant and proud, glared right back down at him with its one terrible red eye and a row of teeth that were unmistakably arrayed in a smile.

* * *

Achilles shot up in his bed, breath ragged and covered head to toe in sweat.

"Hah...hah...hah. That one again," he managed.

He swung his feet over the edge of the bed and grabbed the rag that was on the nightstand before proceeding to wipe the sweat from his face and body.

"Fifteen years and it still has this effect on me," he sighed. "At least I didn't throw up this time."

Gathering himself up, he proceeded to get dressed and, taking enough time to calm himself and put on a smile, he made his way downstairs.

He found everyone was already gathered and eating breakfast.

"Did I sleep in?" he asked, turning to the clock. He found that he indeed had as it was already nine in the morning, four hours later than he normally awoke.

"It's alright," Hestia replied with a smile. "We figured you needed the rest."

"Apparently I did," Achilles said.

He went over to Bell and kissed the top of his head, making everyone smile a bit more brightly.

"Morning, Son," he said.

"Morning, Dad," Bell replied.

"Is this going to be the new morning ritual?" Lili teased.

"You better believe it," Achilles said making his way over to Haruhime who was making breakfast. "Now, how can I help?"

"Oh, I've got it. But thank you, Achilles," she answered with a smile.

"Well I need to do something as a thank you for last night. And to apologize for scaring you all. Besides, I make wickedly good chocolate chip pancakes."

"Wickedly good are they?" Welf asked. "I think we need to test that."

After sharing a look the Hestia familia quickly came to agreement, ending with Haruhime.

"I'll lead you to the pantry," she said happily.

The two walked to the pantry and Haruhime began to search for the ingredients.

"So were you able to dance with Bell?"

She jumped, dropping the bag of chocolate chips.

"I-I," she turned to him. "I was able to. Yes."

"How did it go?"

She stayed silent for a moment, blushing terribly, but eventually replied.

"It was wonderful."

He smiled.

"I'm glad," he reached down and picked up the bag. "Last night you learned what I think of you and Bell," he looked her in the eye. "You are the one who I was talking about. The one I think Bell could intertwine his soul with and, especially now that I've earned the right to call him my son, I'll do whatever I can to ensure not only his happiness, but the greatest happiness possible," he took a knee in front of her. "So whatever you need, Haruhime, just ask. Whatever it is, I will do what I can as I honestly, wholeheartedly want you two to find each other so that I can one day call you my daughter-in-law and see adorable white-haired renards running around."

Haruhime's head was ready to explode, the last bit about white-haired renards being the bursting point as her eyes rolled up and she began to fall.

"Oh no you don't," Achilles said, grabbing her and pinching her nose before shaking her head. "No fainting. If you want Bell, which I know you do, you're going to have to be a little bit more confident Miss Shy and Adorable."

He released her and stood up.

"I'll reiterate that things won't be easy. Bell is quite deeply in love with Aiz, but nothing worth doing is easy. And love is certainly worth doing. At least when done right," he quickly added before grabbing the remaining ingredients and turning to leave.

"Achilles!"

He turned.

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

He smiled at her.

"You're welcome."

The two returned and Achilles began his pancakes.

"So," he said as he stirred the batter. "What happened after I went to bed?"

"Not much," Hestia replied. "We talked about what to do about Freya. We agreed that going on the offensive against her was a step too far, but we plan to bolster our cooperation between our familias. I also plan to speak to Ouranos today on the matter. He doesn't normally get involved in the city politics, but given that Freya was close to dominating the city, even he's decided to step in."

Achilles grimaced.

"I apologize again for that. I should have been more prepared."

Everyone gave him sympathetic looks.

"She manipulated you, Achilles-kun. It's what she does," Hestia said gently.

"I know, that's why I should have been more prepared," he said utterly ashamed.

A soft feeling fell on his hand. He turned to see Haruhime smiling at him.

"You're in love, Achilles. If there was ever an excusable reason for letting one's guard down, it would be that. Indeed, I do not think you were in the wrong at all for trusting her to keep her word, I think she was in the wrong for breaking it and hurting you so horribly."

Achilles stared into her eyes for a moment while the others nodded their agreement. Finally, a small smile grew on his lips and he squeezed her hand.

"Thank you."

She smiled brightly at him.

"No need to thank me. I only speak the truth."

The two turned back to their task with Achilles soon creating a stack of pancakes that were then passed around the table.

"So," Achilles began as everyone enjoyed their pancakes. "Are we still on for training today?"

"Yes," Bell replied. "Everyone should be arriving within the hour."

"Hm. Maybe I shouldn't have filled you all up on pancakes then," Achilles joked.

"If you didn't want us to eat so many pancakes you shouldn't have made them so delicious!" Hestia cried, quickly getting sounds of agreement.

Achilles laughed.

"Glad you're enjoying them. But before I forget, how's the recruiting going, Hestia-sama?"

Swallowing her mouthful of syrup covered goodness, Hestia sighed.

"Not great. We got Ryuu of course, which was a major boon, but the few applicants we got were iffy at best. I was hoping that with your stunt with at the Guild we would be able to more effectively recruit, but then Freya's party happened and I'm honestly not sure how things will go now. On one hand, we got you back and Bell was absolutely wonderful!" she said, throwing her arms around the now blushing captain. "But," she said pulling back. "Everyone now knows just how focused Freya is on us. Even worse, things almost turned into a war, which will scare away a lot of people, not that we can really blame them."

Achilles nodded solemnly.

"I suppose we can't."

Bell, not liking the turn in mood, decided to jump in.

"Is there anyone you know who might join our familia, Dad?"

"Anyone I know?" Everyone's eyes turned to him. "Hm. Well, actually...there are a few people I could get in contact with."

"Really?" Bell asked excitedly.

Achilles nodded.

"When Zeus and Hera familia were banished I wasn't the only one who decided to leave Orario. Quite a few lower level familia did likewise. Most, I think, have given up the adventurer's life, but I do know a few who might be willing to come back if I asked them." He quickly continued seeing the eagerness in their eyes. "I can't promise anything, but I'll send some letters and we'll see if anyone bites."

Now everyone was all smiles and Achilles, in spite of his warning, couldn't help but smile in return.

* * *

Less than an hour later the bell to the gate rang and Takemikazuchi and Miach familia filed in.

"Glad you could make it," Achilles greeted..

"Thank you for having us," Miach returned.

"Of course. Now," Achilles said clapping his hands. "Why don't we all make our way to the training grounds?"

Everyone nodded, though Cassandra made sure to keep behind Daphne, not that the girl really minded and, in this case, she understood where she was coming from.

Once everyone was gathered Achilles began.

"Alright, so I'm in a bit of a pickle here. I haven't had the opportunity to observe all of you and come up with individual plans. That said, the goal is to have you grow at the fastest rate possible. As such, I have an idea that should work," he withdrew his sword. "Everyone versus me."

More than a few pairs of eyes widened.

"You want all of us to fight you at the same time?" Daphne asked.

"Yep. It seems fair. Two level fours, two level threes, and several level twos and ones. All that versus one level seven. Advantage of numbers and all that goes with it."

Something about the way he explained things made them all uneasy but, they were there to train, so there was little reason to say no.

"Alright," Daphne agreed, followed by the rest of those gathered, even if only with extreme reluctance from some.

"Wonderful," now Achilles turned to the gods. "And you can all make yourselves comfortable and watch if you like."

"I think we'll take you up on that offer," Takemikazuchi replied.

Everyone took their places, Achilles at one end of the training area, everyone else on the other facing him.

Bell and Ryuu took the front, behind them were Daphne, Welf, and Ouka, then followed by Lili, Haruhime, Cassandra, Chigusa, and Asuka of the Takemikazuhi familia. Lastly, guarding the rear were Mikoto and Naaza.

"Alright. Everyone ready? Properly stretched and limber?" Achilles asked.

"He's mocking us," Daphne said with a frown.

"Never underestimate the importance of good stretching Daphne-san," Achilles called.

Bell smiled.

"We're ready whenever you are, Dad."

Achilles returned his smile.

"Then on the count of three," he held up his hand. "One." Everyone got in their respective stances. "Two." They felt a bead of sweat go down their skin. "Three."

Bell and Ryuu rushed forward, intent on keeping Achilles busy while their allies worked together to find openings to exploit. That was the plan, but it wasn't as if Achilles was going to wait for them.

"Lightning Steps."

Before the two could react, a flash of light rushed passed them. They turned, wide-eyed as the light then rushed the preceding two lines of adventurers before appearing next to Mikoto and Naaza.

The two girls only had enough time for their own eyes to widen before Achilles grabbed their heads and slammed them down on the ground.

Lili, Asuka, Chigusa, Cassandra and Haruhime, seeing their rearguard now gone, turned with horror in their eyes as they suddenly found themselves on the front lines.

"Lili! Haruhime!" Bell cried as he tried to rush over to them.

It was too late however as Achilles suddenly appeared before them, and flicked them on the temples, sending them flying backwards and landing on their backs a few feet away.

"Cassandra!" Daphne called.

Achilles would have taken advantage of this distraction, but Bell and Ryuu finally reached him, forcing him onto the defensive.

Bell struck first, slashing at Achilles with the Hestia knife. Achilles quickly blocked it then batted it away before blocking the next attack that came at him from Ryuu with her wooden sword.

He thrust his hand forward and grabbed her by her hood before nonchalantly throwing her aside before focusing back on Bell. However, before he could, Daphne thrust her Fencer Laureate at his head. He easily dodged the blade, then proceeded to grab her arm, pull her to him, lift her over his shoulder, toss her backwards, then kick her away.

Bell, having had enough time to recover, relaunched himself at Achilles intent on keeping his father's focusing on him.

He slashed again at Achilles, only to once again be blocked and batted away so that the ex-captain could proceed to block a slash to his left from Welf, before batting him away so that he could do likewise with Ouka who was coming from his right.

Deciding to go on the offensive before they could regather themselves and properly attack him, Achilles launched forward, grabbed Bell and dragged him some ten meters away, before throwing him away.

His son out of the way, Achilles refocused on the others. They had been able to come up with some level of strategy while he was dealing with Bell as he saw Ryuu launching towards him with Welf behind her while Ouka and Daphne moved to flank him.

Ryuu feinted to his left before aiming a low shot towards his right leg. He quickly blocked it, but as he was about to counter, Ryuu suddenly ducked and a crossbow bolt shot towards his face.

Achilles caught the bolt and tossed it aside, noting that Lili and the others were back on their feet with Naaza readying her bow and Mikoto clearly chanting a spell.

He knew could probably deal with them with little effort, minimizing the risk, but decided to focus on the enemies right before him and see what they had in store.

Ryuu came first, aiming a strike at his chin. He caught her wooden sword, pulled it towards him, dragging her along the way, then backhanded her, causing her to fly away, nearly colliding into Ouka as she did. Following her, Welf struck, throwing down an overhead strike. Achilles blocked the attack, then proceeded to use Welf's momentum against him by pulling the blade down and to the side, in the direct path of the flanking Daphne, causing her to go wide-eyed in shock and freeze, which in turn allowed him to unceremoniously punch her in the face, sending her flying off, before he then proceeded to grab Welf and toss him towards Lili who, wide-eyed, nonetheless was able to dive out of the way of the falling smith.

Achilles was about to move on towards Naaza and Mikoto when a lovely and familia voice called out.

"Uchide no Kozuchi!"

Turning towards Haruhime just as a pillar of gold appeared, he realized he had allowed himself to lose sight of her and lightly reprimanded himself for not taking things more seriously.

"_Now, who did she give that to?"_

His answer came swiftly as he felt a presence rushing towards him at breakneck speeds.

Blocking the strike from behind, Achilles smiled at the now level five Bell as the boy, eyes firm and determined, began his assault.

One strike towards his head. Then a second towards his neck. Then a feint towards his side. Bell struck out fiercely but with a precision that did credit to his rank as an adventurer and filled Achilles with pride.

"_And to think, he got this far without a lick of my help."_

But Achilles was someone who took his lessons to heart and as such, was aware that not only was Mikoto about to finish her spell, but that Ryuu already had finished one of her own and that Naaza was prepared to hold him at bay.

"Luminous Wind!" Ryuu cried.

Bell jumped out of the way as the magic shot at Achilles.

Blocking the attack, Achilles found himself being pushed back by the force of the magic.

"_Impressive, even for a level four,"_ he noted.

Still, the magic was more inconvenient than damaging and he soon brushed it aside and turned his attention towards Mikoto who he now recognized as their trump card. Before he could attack however, Naaza loosed an arrow at him, which he quickly deflected, only to have a barrage of arrows rain down upon him, courtesy of Lili, though with the same end result.

"Firebolt!"

Achilles turned his head and was met with the sight of a fiery storm heading his way.

"Quite the arsenal they have," he said before bringing his blade up to block the attack.

For most the two magic attacks would have knocked them out of commission or at the very least made them think twice about facing their current opponents, but for Achilles, the man who could take Ottar's worst attack head on, they were more flashy light shows then intimidating attacks and so, like all the other attacks sent his way, he quickly batted it away.

However, enough time had passed and Mikoto had been able to finish her chant.

"Futsunomitama!"

Achilles suddenly found himself surrounded by purple light. However, before he could fully register what this meant, he felt himself being slammed towards the earth.

"Urgh," he groaned as he felt his knees buckling under the sudden pressure.

"_Gravity magic. I repeat, quite the arsenal,"_ he thought as his bones creaked underneath him.

The younger adventurers began to circle around him.

"You got him Mikoto-sama?" Lili asked.

"Yes...but," she answered, her voice strained. "He's very strong."

"Just hold him as long as you can," Bell said looking down at his hand.

White light covered it and the sound of bells began to ring through the air.

"_That's not good for me,"_ Achilles recognized. "_I need to break out of this quickly."_

Calling forth his strength, Achilles began to lift his sword.

"Hear me heroes of legend," he began.

"Mikoto," Ouka said, his voice filled with concern.

"I know," she responded, redoubling her efforts to force Achilles down.

He held back a groan as she pushed against him harder.

"Your brother calls you to battle."

Everyone got ready, tightening the grip on their weapons, taking aim, and in Bell's case, pointing his palm towards his father in preparation to launch his attack.

"Let us shake the heavens and the earth!" Achilles cried, twirling his sword so that its blade pointed down.

"Spartan Quake!"

He thrust the sword into the earth.

The earth shattered as tremors shook it apart, tearing away the young adventurers' footing, disrupting their formation and scattering them about while at the same time destroying Mikoto's concentration, thus ending her spell.

Freed from his restraints, Achilles attacked in earnest.

Bell was first. With his Argonaut charged, he was the first priority. Achilles slammed into his, sending him flying. He then turned to Mikoto. Her magic had held him in place which gave them a huge leg up in the fight. Though he doubted she would be able to manage it again, he wasn't going to take any chances and so struck out at her furiously, knocking her to her knees with a strike to her leg before ripping the air from her lungs with a punch to the gut. With her now immobilized, he turned to his last target. Haruhime.

Her level up magic was a wildcard that could turn either of the two level fours into a level five, which could be just enough to hold him down while the rest whittled away at him. That likely would still not have been enough to beat him in a serious fight, but it was a notable issue and Achilles wasn't foolish enough to think that his level seven status made him invincible.

And so, appearing before the renard, he lightly zapped her, his electricity stunning her, causing her to fall down helplessly.

His three main problems out of the way, for now, he turned back to the rest.

Ryuu, not one to give up easily, threw herself at the ex-captain. The two clashed in a flurry of strikes and counter-blows. Welf, Ouka, and Daphne all joined in, hoping to hold him down while Chigusa ran towards Mikoto. Lili and Naaza tried to provide covering fire, but in the chaotic battering of weapons, the few shots they were able to launch at the former leader of the Zeus familia were quickly knocked away or, in the case of one of Naaza's arrows, caught and used to make a jab at Welf before the smith was promptly smacked away.

While this was going on Cassandra ran over to Bell who was slowly getting up, the force of his father's blow having rattled his entire skeleton and leaving him bruised and with limited mobility.

Seeing his state, Cassandra quickly began to chant.

"Soullight!" she cried.

The area filled with light and began to heal Bell's wounds.

He watched his wounds disappeared, relief filling him.

"Thank you," he said before seeing the state she was in. "Are you alright?" he asked in concern.

"I'm sorry I can't be more useful."

Bell smiled.

"You've helped me a lot, Cassandra-san," he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you."

His kind words, bright smile, and the hand on her shoulder overrode Cassandra's senses and her cheeks burst with burning color.

"Y-You're welcome," she said, bowing her head.

Turning back to the battle, Bell saw that his comrades were being knocked around by the elder adventurer like a child knocks down their play blocks, and he knew he had to act quickly.

He looked down at his hand. Argonaut was still in effect and he had at least a two minute charge on it.

"_I have to use this wisely or else I'll accidentally hit the others."_

Thinking quickly he scanned the area. Everyone was scattered in a chaotic formation trying their best just to stay on their feet, let alone come up with a coherent strategy or battle formation against the level seven captain. This meant that every angle was impossible to fire off an Argonaut powered Firebolt without risk to them. All except one.

Achilles had just knocked Ryuu's wooden sword out of her hand, grabbed it and then used it to crack her on the side of the head when the distinct sound of bells returned to his ears. He turned and saw Bell charging at him.

"Everyone get back!" Bell ordered.

Achilles smiled and readied for an attack.

"_He can't fire off a Firebolt without risking hitting the others, so he's going to try a direct blast. Maybe an enhanced punch," _he reasoned.

But he found himself surprised when, instead of continuing his charge straight at his father and his awaiting sword, he suddenly jumped high into the air and aimed his palm down.

"Firebolt!"

A white torrent of electrified fire shot down towards Achilles like a falling star, slamming into him with just as much force.

Everyone around had to squint or turn away from the blinding light until the attack finished and Bell landed back on the ground.

None of them suspected that the attack, powerful as it was, would be the end of the Olympian, but even so, they found themselves shocked at the sight they were met with.

Achilles was largely unscathed. His clothes were a little burned or destroyed in a few places, but nothing to even bring his modesty into question. Indeed he seemed mostly unharmed, except for one detail. The part of his hand that had been gripping his sword on the side directly facing the attack had had all its skin and muscle burned away, revealing the white bone underneath.

"That was quite something, Bell," Achilles said, tossing his sword to the other hand but otherwise ignoring the damage to his hand. "Had I been anyone else or had a worse weapon that might very well have been a finishing blow."

The ease in which he spoke intimidated those around him. Neither the attack nor his wound seem to phase him and soon, they all came to understand not only the great difference in the strength between them and their elder compatriot, but also the level of personal experience dealing with horrible, painful situations. That he was used to such wounds and viewed them only as inconveniences.

"Now," Achilles continued. "I think it's about time I finish this lesson for to-."

He was cut off when the sound of a blade passing through the air caught his ear.

Quickly turning he found that none other than Mikoto Yamato had snuck up behind him and was now thrusting her blade at him.

Naturally, he was fast enough to move far enough for the attack to miss its intended target but, to his surprise, she had gotten close enough where he wasn't able to entirely dodge the attack and the blade soon cut across his cheek.

"_Well I'll be. The girl's got some real skill."_

Of course, he still grabbed her, threw her to the ground and placed his foot on top of her.

"Nice try, Mikoto-san. Very nice try, actually. But not quite enough."

The attack had come as a surprise to the rest of the young adventurers, but her quick and unquestionable defeat that promptly followed knocked down any intentions they may have had of continuing the fight as Achilles, though pleased and surprised himself, was clearly now in full control of the situation and his eyes now dared them to continue. A challenge that, after the smashing they had just faced, they were not particularly interested in taking up.

"Alright. Looks like we're done," Achilles said, taking his foot off of Mikoto and helping her up.

Everyone fell down.

"Level sevens are stupid strong," Welf groaned.

A few groans of agreement passed through the air.

Achilles laughed as he approached them.

"To be fair, it takes a lot to get there."

"I don't think I want to know what it takes," Welf said.

"Probably not," Achilles agreed.

"That was...something," Takemikazuchi said, clearly trying to wrap his head around what he'd just seen.

"Indeed," Miach agreed with the same tone.

"Geeze, did you have to beat them up so badly?" Hestia said, looking over her battered and bruised familia.

"I'm trying to make them grow at an accelerated rate. I can't exactly be gentle, and that actually was me going easy on them right now."

Another collection of groans passed through the air.

"Of course it was," Lili whined, knowing full well he wasn't lying.

"Well, I think they've had enough for today. And you need that healed," Hestia said pointing at his hand.

"Oh this?" Achilles said holding up his hand. "Just a flesh wound."

"Even so," Hestia continued, a bit unnerved by how easily he was taking seeing his own bone. "I'd feel better if you were healed."

"Very well," Achilles agreed. "Anyone know healing magic?"

Cassandra was the one who answered, for, even though Achilles unnerved her to no end, she did feel somewhat responsible for his injury given that she had healed Bell who had, in turn, inflicted it.

"Thank you," he said after receiving his healing. He then noticed the terrified and shaking body of the young lady before him and smiled gently. "No need to be so afraid, I know I'm a bit scary but all I really want is for all of you to do the best that you can and to live long, happy lives."

Cassandra looked up at him. She saw the genuineness and kindness in his eyes and, though she wasn't fully at ease, she was naturally a very nervous girl after all, she did feel at ease enough to give him a small smile.

"That's better. Now," he said turning back to the adventurers. "Let's talk about what happened and where you all can improve."

Everyone turned their sole attention to him.

"We'll start with the level ones. Haruhime, Chigusa, Asuka, you all add something to the fight in terms of support, most notably Haruhime's Uchide no Kozuchi, but you're all exceedingly vulnerable yourselves, especially you, Haruhime. You have some level of combat training and experience, but that needs to be ramped up, not only so you can level up, but so that you don't become targets for the more clever opponents." The three nodded. "I'll give you a few suggestions and I'd be more than happy to train you when I can, but I'll entrust your familias to your training for the most part. Now the level twos."

"Lili, as a supporter you're in much the same place as the level ones, but you do have experience. However, you weaponry is medium to long ranged. You don't appear to have much experience in or weaponry, for hand-to-hand. That should change. You don't need to be able to take the front rows during combat, but I don't want you being unable to defend yourself if an enemy manages to slip through the lines." The prum nodded. "Welf, Ouka, you two have a different problem. You both carry heavy weapons and while you both carry them well, they do make you slower, which wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the fact that you two seemed so dreadfully opposed to armor. You two are practically naked, defensively speaking, yet carry around weapons that can't easily provide you protection, especially from missiles and magic. You need not only armor, but also a back-up, lighter weapon that you can pull out should you lose your main one, or to switch to closer attacks." The two young men nodded. "Naaza, you expect to be on the backlines, as far from the enemy as possible. You are indeed quite the sniper, but you are unprepared for an enemy that is able to close the gap. You need to learn hand-to-hand combat or, if you'd prefer, I'd suggest setting up traps to, at the very least, warn you of an enemy's approach. Maybe there's someone you can go to for advice on building and setting up such devices."

Naaza toke his words in stride, already thinking of someone she could go to for advice on devices and traps.

"Cassandra," Achilles turned to the nervous girl, and no one failed to notice that Mikoto had been skipped. "You're problem is the same as I've previously mentioned. You act as a supporter, which is all well and good, but as a level three, you should also have enough power to brush aside many, if not most challenges. You need to add some sort of offensive ability to your arsenal, whether it be magic or weaponry, and become comfortable with it." Cassandra had never taken criticism well, due, in no small part, from her time in Apollo familia, but she took it with as much grace as she could. "Daphne, you're skilled at hand to hand combat, and your speed is noteworthy but you don't seem willing to use it to its fullest extent, preferring aggressive frontal attacks instead of using your mobility to your advantage by hitting from different sides. This is especially noticeable when your formation is broken. The moment I got to Cassandra your controlled temperament dropped and you ran straight for me. Which leads me to," he turned to the level fours.

"Ryuu, you are clearly the most experienced here and it shows. Your attacks were powerful and precise. You knew where to strike and when. Had I been a standard level five I would have been hard pressed to defeat you. That said, you do become desperate when things seem to take a turn for the worst, as if you're trying to take the full burden of the fight on your shoulders. Admirable, but dangerous. It doesn't matter how good you are, if you're outmatched without support, you will be defeated, if not crushed. My suggestion is that you use your speed to aid your comrades. Even if you can't get them back on their feet, if you can get them out of immediate danger that should, at least help calm your mind enough to use your skills to their greatest effect." The elf nodded. "And all those criticisms go double for you, Bell," he said pointing at the rabbit-like young man. "Your heroic spirit ensures that you always force your way to the front lines. Noble of you, but you'll exhaust yourself far faster than others by that need to constantly charge at the greatest opponent. Trust your comrades and think. You're intelligent and that last attack clearly showed you have the ability to work out a plan quickly, however, even if I didn't know you, I'd be able to quickly figure out that your heroic nature and need to protect those you care about could be used to lure you into a trap and deal you a knockout blow. But," he quickly added. "Please don't think of this as a criticism of your good heart. It's not. I happily acknowledge that it's something I love about you and don't want it to change. But, speaking from my own experience, I can tell you that there is an inherent danger in that spirit, especially if something happens to your comrades," a deep look of pain filled his face as terrible memories filled his mind.

Bell and the others knew what was replaying in his mind and grew their own looks of sadness. Bell, being who he was, walked over to his newly minted father and hugged him.

The pain eased away as Bell's warmth and comforting smile washed over the older captain and, soon enough, he smiled and stroked his head.

"All in all," he continued, once Bell had returned to his spot. "You all did very well, but the one I want to give most credit towards is Mikoto."

"Me?" Mikoto asked as everyone turned to you.

"Yep. You really shined today. Not only did you use a powerful spell to hold me in a place, which takes remarkable skill and made you absolutely instrumental towards your group's strategy, but you kept to your part with admirable vigor, and that was after I knocked you to the ground. But most noteworthy, you recognized you needed to change strategies and turned to ninjutsu. Not only was your skill quite profound in the area as well, as you were able to sneak all the way up behind me, but, had you been level or two higher, I would have been in quite the state from your attack. Hell, if this had been a serious fight, you might very well have been able to kill me."

Mikoto's eyes widened.

"Y-You give me too much credit," she said, her head bowed in order to hide her red cheeks.

"Not at all. You have exceptional potential, Mikoto-san. With proper time to enhance all your skills and expand your arsenal you will become a real force to be reckoned with. The only real criticism I can say is that you need to work on your confidence. More specifically, you need to be able to always call on that confidence you have when your friends are in danger. Trust them. Trust yourself, and strike true. Learn that and by the time you're a level four, let alone five or six, I will be thinking twice about crossing swords with you."

The praise was too much to bear for Mikoto, who looked ready to explode.

"T-Thank you very much," she said, bowing deeply.

Everyone was smiling now, happy to see their friend being praised.

"Overall," Achilles stated. "You all have extraordinary potential, and I'm not just saying that because I like you all. In time, with the proper care and motivation I truly do think you, all of you, have the capacity to surpass me and my familia."

"Of course they can!" Hestia declared excitedly. "With me and Bell-kun leading them, there's no one we won't!"

"And what exactly do you have to do with this Hestia-sama?" Lili questioned.

"Why you!"

"You've given us quite a lot to think about," Miach said.

"Indeed," Takemikazuchi agreed. "Though I must say I am very glad to see someone recognizing her talent," he said turning his eyes towards his former familia member.

"Takemikazuchi-sama," Mikoto said, her embarrassment growing.

"I do my best to be honest, that's all," Achilles replied.

"Even so, you didn't have to aid our children at all, yet you did. For that, I am very grateful," the eastern god said.

"We adventurers have to help each other, else we won't get very far. In all honesty, my training isn't that great, at least not in comparison to my captain, Chiron. He knew just how to teach you no matter who you were. I miss that old man," he said smiling fondly. "But even so, I'll do my best. Besides, I want to be the cool dad, so helping out my son's friends is a must."

No one could prevent the smiles that came from that, even had they wanted to. The joy that radiated off of both the captains at their newly formed relationship was contagious as they all felt themselves being filled with the genuine joy and hope that radiated off the pair.

"Then you won't mind if I take you up on your offer and ask you for some tips," Ryuu said, stepping forward.

"Not at all."

* * *

Achilles made his way towards Twilight Manor with a smile on his face. He'd spent the last few hours working with each of the young adventurers, working out the kinks, teaching them some techniques, and helping to improve their strategy and, overall, things had gone very well. Now however, he had only one adventurer who needed his attention.

He arrived at the gates, fully intent on being a good boy and waiting for them to bring Aiz to him, only to be surprised when, upon spotting him, one of the guards turned to him and said.

"Follow me."

The guard led him through the manor, those they passed either keeping their distance or glaring at him, until they arrived at a garden where Riveria, not Aiz was sitting, reading a book.

"Riveria-sama wished to speak with you," the guard stated.

"I see."

He walked over to where the royal elf was sitting and, upon hearing his approach, she looked up.

"Ah, Achilles. I was wondering when you'd arrive."

"Didn't know I was keeping you waiting."

"I simply wished to talk to you. Come," she said, gesturing him to follow her.

The two walked a short distance until they found a tree where Riveria promptly sat down with Achilles soon after doing likewise on the opposite side.

"So," he said, taking out his pipe. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Aiz," she answered simply.

"What about her?" he inquired further, lighting his pipe.

"It is my hope that she and young Bell Cranel will find each other."

He turned his head.

"And you're mad at me for not approving of their union?"

"No, not mad. I can understand your concern. You want only the best for him. I am the same with Aiz. My hope is that I can convince you that she and Bell would indeed be an excellent match."

"Good luck with that. As far as I'm concerned, I've already found his perfect match," Achilles said.

"Oh? And who's that?"

"You gonna turn her into a frog?" Achilles joked.

Riveria chuckled.

"No. I just want to understand what precisely you're looking for when it comes to your new son."

"Trying to sweet talk me isn't going to work," Achilles stated causing another chuckle to pass Riveria's lips.

"It was worth a shot."

A stream of smoke passed Achilles's lips.

"Aiz seems like a good girl. A bit ditzy and in need of a little bit more of this thing most people call, 'emotion', but I do not doubt that she is worthy of Bell's affections to some degree. Indeed, her and Bell may make each other very happy," Achilles admitted. "But I do not see the inherent spark or chemistry between them like I do with the other young lady. Answer me honestly, if Aiz had not saved him, could you ever see those two coming together? What do they have that connects them? They're both driven, kind people? So are you. What if you had been the one to save him? Should I have jumped on that bandwagon had it played out that way?"

"He's a bit young for me," she joked.

"That excuse isn't going to get you far with me, especially seeing how I'm wondering how you haven't been snatched up in all these years. But I'll get back to that. Now, you tell me, what brings them together? The girl I have in mind may not have quite as much drive as Bell, but she has his kindness and tenderness. She shares his interests and has shown no level of malice to the point I'm almost willing to declare her a saint. And most importantly, nothing else is pulling at her heart which threatens to consume her."

Riveria sighed. She knew this would come up. It had to.

"I don't want her going after the Dragon either, Achilles."

"And yet she persists."

"Can you not understand why? You, of all people?"

She suddenly found herself face to face with the man.

"Don't go there. I lost so much to that thing. I fully understand wanting it dead. I have not had a night that wasn't tormented by nightmares for over fifteen years. Every night I see that thing and what it did to the people I cared about. No one, and I mean no one, wants that thing gone as much as I do, but I will not destroy myself or drag others into my hate. Can you say the same for Aiz Wallenstein?"

He moved away and retook his position on the other side of the tree.

Things were quiet for a moment, the only sound being that of Achilles deeply breathing in smoke to calm himself.

"I'm sorry, Achilles. I shouldn't have said that. I know how much pain you're in," she said, remembering a particularly terrible memory.

"No you don't. And I hope you never do. The last thing in the world I want for you, Riveria, is for you to understand my pain," he said darkly. "But you're forgiven. I don't want to fight with you Riveria. I really don't. Not about this. Not about anything."

"Nor I with you," she returned, a deep sadness in her voice after hearing his words.

A smoke filled sigh passed his lips.

"Aiz would make Bell happy. I do not, nor will ever try to deny that. If they find each other, I'll be happy for both of them. But until they do I will be pushing the one I think will give him what he deserves towards him. You, in turn, will push Aiz towards him. I will respect that and not interfere, except," he turned his head. "If there is a risk she will drag him into her personal war. I will not lose my son to her quest for vengeance."

Riveria nodded solemnly.

"I understand."

"Good. Now, perhaps you'll do me the honor of explaining why your own love life seems so stunted."

She laughed, in spite of everything.

"You're assuming it is."

"No, I know it is. Not only would I have heard something since I've been back, but I also know that if anyone got their hands on you, they'd never let go."

She laughed again, this time without the burden of their previous topic.

"I don't tend to get approached much."

"One: bullshit. Two: you can also do the approaching."

"No ones peaked my interest in a long time."

"What are you looking for?"

"Hm. They'd have to be wise."

"Of course. No idiots for the elven princess."

She laughed again.

"You always did like to tease me about that."

"Still do."

"But, I don't so much mind them not being intelligent. What I mean is, they don't have to be book smart, clever, or witty. I want someone who can take life's lessons to heart and grow from them. It doesn't so much matter to me if they appear foolish to others, in fact they might very well appear as such, but I'll know that they have a deeper understanding than most."

"Hm, interesting qualification. I might even call it wise in its own way."

"Thank you."

"What else?" he pressed.

"He'd have to be brave. Again, not necessarily in terms of battle, but in terms of character. Being always true to himself. Honest, but not cruel, at least not intentionally. Someone who, when pushed, will plant his feet and say, 'no, you move'."

"I believe I told you that saying," Achilles said with a smile.

"Did you? I can't seem to remember," Riveria said with a smile.

"Alright cheeky girl. So wise and brave, huh? Really limiting your options there." She chuckled. "But if you'll find them anywhere, Orario would be the place."

"I know he's here," she said with certainty.

"Oh? Anyone I know?"

She smiled.

"He'd also have to have a good heart."

Achilles blew out smoke.

"Alright Evasive-san. A good heart. Meaning kind?"

"Yes, but more than that. Being kind can be interpreted many ways. Telling your child a white lie may be thought of as kind in certain circumstances, but being honest can also be thought of as such. I want the latter. Kind in a way that allows those around them to grow. The kind of good heart that seeks to help others become the most they could be."

"Another tidbit of philosophy I see."

She chuckled again.

"It's just how I feel."

"Mmhm. You're laughing quite a bit today, I've noticed. Someone slip something into your tea?"

Another chuckle.

"I guess I've just missed our talks."

He was silent for a moment before replying.

"So have I."

The two shared a comfortable silence for a moment before Riveria continued.

"How are you?"

Achilles blew out a ring.

"Is that the general, 'how are you' or is it in reference to last night? If it's the first, generally pretty well. If it's the second," he went quiet for a moment. "I'll live."

"Achilles," she turned to him.

"She got me," he cut in. "I fell for her trick hook line and sinker," he sighed. "Not exactly my finest moment."

"No one blames you," she stated gently.

"Well that's not true. Loki was clearly pissed, as were numerous members of your familia. And I don't blame them. But, you know what's interesting?"

"What?" she asked.

"I'm actually grateful."

That surprised her for a moment, but she soon realized why and smiled.

"Because you got Bell?"

He smiled.

"That's part of it. Though actually it's not the only reason."

"And what's the other reason?"

"For the last few decades I've been in love with Freya. When I think about it in comparison to something, it's been like I've had my head under a blanket for all this time. Originally it was warm, but it became suffocating. Even so, I couldn't manage to pull the blankets off of me. However, after what she pulled, and after what Bell did for me, I think I've finally found the light peeking in from outside the blanket."

Her eyes widened.

"You mean…?"

"I'm not sure yet. Still have to see what happens, but I may, _may_, be able to finally claw my way out of the blanket now."

Had Achilles been facing Riveria he would have seen a curious twinkle of light enter her eyes.

"I'm...I'm happy to hear that."

"So am I," he said. "Anyway," he got up. "As much as I'd like to continue this conversation, I did come here with a purpose."

She nodded, smiling all the while.

"I'll show you where she is."

The two walked through the manor, the comfortable silence once more falling over them, until they reached the training area where Aiz was currently working with her sword.

"I'll leave you here," Riviera said.

"It was nice talking to you, Riveria. We need to get back into the habit again."

"Agreed," she returned.

The Nine Hells now gone, Achilles walked over to Aiz.

Hearing his approach, she turned.

"Achilles-san. Thank you for coming," she said with a bow.

"All thanks should go to Bell, I'm just fulfilling a favor."

"Then I'll be sure to thank him again the next time I see him," she said with a smile.

"_Well, it appears he's bringing out some emotion from her at least," _Achilles thought.

"Be sure that you do," he said. "So are you ready to go?"

"I'm ready whenever you are," she said, getting into a stance.

"Not here. This training is just for you, I don't want your other familia learning something about my abilities. Allies though we our, we can't fully trust each other yet."

Aiz nodded in understanding.

"Bell and I tend to train on the walls," she offered.

"That'll do."

The two left, Aiz activating her Tempest due to her eagerness to begin. Achilles followed closely behind, unfazed by her speed.

The two arrived at the spot where Aiz and Bell had trained in the past and she and Achilles took their places.

"Let's see what you can do, Aiz Wallenstein," he said holding up his sword.

She tightened her grip on her sword, then began.

* * *

Riviera watched the two disappear with a smile.

"_I'm glad to see you're doing so well, Achilles," _she thought.

Before she could stop it, her mind flashed back to the last time she'd seen him before his return to Orario.

_The news of Zeus and Hera familias' defeat at the hands of the One-Eyed Black Dragon had spread like wildfire. Everyone was terrified. All the optimism and good feelings that they had when they had sent off the adventurers to defeat the last Great Beast had turned to smoke and a sense of foreboding and doom had fallen over the city. But Riviera was not concerned with that, she simply wished to know how Achilles was doing. _

"_Heard the madman ran to Freya," Loki had told her. "Probably hoping she would save the two big guys from banishment. She won't of course, but guess he'll have to learn the hard way."_

_This information in mind, Riviera went in search of Achilles, heading for the Freya familia mansion._

_She was just about to make it, when a flash of blue light burst before her. She shielded her eyes, before turning back towards the source to find, to her horror, a distraught and crying Achilles looking ready to empty his stomach. _

"_Achilles," she breathed._

_Before she could do anything though, he suddenly flew away, using his Lightning Step to flee at a pace she could never hope to catch._

"_Achilles!" she cried._

_She later learned what had happened between him and Freya from Hera herself. The goddess had not been the kindest with her wording, which had infuriated Rivieria to the point where she actually had slapped the goddess._

_Hera had taken it in stride, seemingly unfazed._

"_Perhaps, if you had acted sooner, he wouldn't currently be running to the ends of the earth."_

Even now the memory was a painful one. She knew, even back then, that Hera was right, but she couldn't change the past. However, she could influence the future. And she intended to do just that.

* * *

Aiz was sweating profusely. Achilles was as well, but not quite to the same extent, nor was he nearly as winded. However, Aiz was not one to quit, so, with eyes as hard as diamonds, she threw herself at Achilles again.

He watched her approach with calm, collected eyes and waited for the right moment.

She thrust forward, intent on quickly striking for his legs after he dodged. Dodge he did, but she was surprised when he moved towards her and proceeded to unceremoniously trip her.

She fell on her face with all the grace of a dropped sack of potatoes.

"What did you do wrong there?" he asked.

She got up, rubbing her nose.

"I'm not focusing enough."

"Actually, the exact opposite." She looked at him confused. "Aiz," he sighed, putting his sword against his shoulder. "You're thinking of me as the Olympian. The legendary captain of the Zeus familia. The man who fought the Great Beasts and survived. You're not thinking of me as an adventurer. You think that I'm going to fight you like some epic hero, smiting my enemies with my legendary sword when I'm just as capable of simple, maybe even dirty tactics, like the one you just fell for." She blushed. "Aiz...I'm just a man. Capable of mistakes like anyone. You saw that quite recently in fact," he pointed out.

"I'm sorry," she said. "It's just…"

He sighed again.

"Aiz, what exactly happened, if I may ask? Why do you have this need to kill the Dragon?"

She went silent, refusing or simply unable to answer for the longest time.

"It killed my father and kidnapped my mother."

"Kidnapped? It took your mother?"

She nodded.

"When I was a child."

"_You're still a child, in more ways than one,"_ Achilles thought, but did not voice.

"That's not something I hear often, but it does give me a clearer picture of your mindset. You want to rescue her, correct?"

She nodded again.

"_There's no way she's still alive but...I've attacked this girl enough. No need to attack her hopes too."_

"I see," he paused rubbing his face. "Aiz, I understand where you're coming from, really I do. I want that thing dead just as much as you. Heavens above, if there's anyone who wants it dead more than you, it's me , but...how old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"Sixteen. Gods. Alright. I won't waste my time with the standard platitudes, but let me ask you two questions. Firstly, let's just say, you kill the Dragon. Just for argument's sake. You kill it and save your mother. Then what? What happens after?"

"After?"

"Yes, after its dead and you have your mother again. What then? Are you done being an adventurer? Will you leave Orario with your mother? Do you continue on her with your familia? What happens...after?"

"I...I don't know. I've only ever thought about killing it and rescuing her."

"You might want to start thinking about that, it might give you some perspective and insight. Alright, second question. What would it take to make you drop this quest?"

She stared at him, her eyes turning cold.

"Nothing. I won't drop it."

He sighed.

"Nothing will convince you to stop? There's nothing more important than this quest for vengeance?"

Her cold eyes gave him his answer.

"Then, one more question. What are you willing to lose?"

"I'd be fine dying if it meant killing the Dragon."

"That's not what I asked. I asked," he walked up to her. "What are you willing to lose?"

"I don't understand."

"Then think about this. Let's say that, within a year's time, you reach level seven. I reach level eight, Bell reaches level six, and all of us plus all the high level members of your familia, and Hell, Ottar as well, all go out to fight the Dragon. We find it, and fight. We succeed in killing it, but it comes at a cost. At least one of us is dead. Now, I want you to think about that. Think about someone in our group being dead. You might not mind so much if Ottar or I die, but what about Rivieria?" A tinge of pain entered her eyes. "Tiona? Tione? What if it was both?" The pain grew. "What if you lost them all? Would that be worth it? What about Bell? Would losing him be worth it in your eyes?"

Tears suddenly appeared, surprising him.

"I…," her voice caught. "I don't want them to die. Any of them."

His fist clenched. He knew he'd gone too far, but he needed her to understand.

"It won't be up to you. You can claim that you'll face it alone, but there's no way that your familia will allow that, even if you become a level eight. They'll want to be there right beside you. Bell will as well. He won't be able to stand by while you face that thing, and that will put him in danger. Are you okay with that? Are you willing to risk them for the sake of killing that thing?"

"...I."

He held up his hand.

"Don't answer. Not to me. Go home and think about it, honestly and fully. Figure out just how much you're really willing to give up to that monster. Speaking for myself, I won't sacrifice the new family I've received for the sake of avenging the one I lost."

He turned to leave.

"Go home, Aiz. Think on what I said. And remember that I do understand where you're coming from, but please also understand that I don't want to see yet another person, especially not someone as good and as talented as you, be destroyed by that thing."

With that, he left, leaving behind a confused and distraught Aiz to reconcile what she had just heard.

* * *

Achilles entered his room and promptly fell down onto his bed.

"Gods above," he said, rubbing his face in the vain hope that it would rid him of his exhaustion, preferable the mental kind. "That girl's going down a path that she may not be able to come back from," he sighed. "In the end though, that's her choice," he thought on what she'd told him. "Killed her father, took her mother. Not sure I've heard that story before."

He closed his eyes.

"_Story?"_

His eyes shot open.

"Yes I have."

He sat up and got out of bed.

Quickly rummaging through his belongings he found the item he was looking for. His copy of _Dungeon Oratoria_.

The book had seen better days, years of reading and rereading had taken its toll on the well-loved book, but Achilles wasn't looking to give his appreciation for the tome, instead he quickly began to shuffle through the pages until he found what he was looking for.

"After some years and many adventures together, the love between Albert and Aria bloomed into a beautiful flower that few have ever or ever will see," he read. "They wed, and soon had a child together, in spite of the fact that Aria was a spirit. How they managed to accomplish this remains a mystery. The child was a beautiful girl. Although her name has been lost to history, what is known is that she took after her mother, looking almost exactly like her mother except that, where Aria's eyes were a deep blue, the daughter's eyes were of the purest gold."

He stopped.

"What the?"

He quickly began flipping the pages.

"Then the day of reckoning came. The Black Dragon appeared and attacked the great heroes. Albert fought bravely, and even succeeded in taking one of the monster's eyes, but it came at the cost of his life. Aria's fate was worse as the beast captured her and flew off into the unknown. The fate of their daughter is unknown for she disappeared during the chaos. Legend has it that she is still chasing after the beast to this day, seeking to avenge her father and rescue her mother."

He stopped again.

"Albert and Aria Waldstein. Aria Waldstein. Aiz Wallenstein," he looked down at the page. "Avenge her father, rescue her mother."

_"She thought I was...someone_ _else,"_ he remembered Aiz saying, along with the pained look in her eyes when he'd mention the Sword Hero.

"What the hell?"

* * *

Done. Whew! That was fun. Now, I apologize, I did say I was going to pull back from cliffhanger style endings, but I've had this one planned out for so long that I couldn't not do it, so my apologizes. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it and that it was worth the wait. If you did, or even if you didn't please leave me a review so I can know what you think. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. With that, I'll clock out for now and catch you all later. So, until next time, bye for now.


	14. Chapter 14

Hello again everyone. Before we get started, there's something I wanted to address thanks, once more, to the helpful reviews you all have given me.

So, many of you have noticed that I appear to be setting the groundwork for an Achilles X Riveria ship. That was indeed the intent, however, as pointed out be "Guest" there was a little problem. It hadn't been set up. The reason for that is quite simple. It wasn't initially planned.

As this series has progressed my initial plans have, naturally, changed. Nothing's been outright deleted, but things have transformed from the initial ideas I had into new things. One of the great changes was what I wanted to do with Achilles and romance. Recently, with the last few chapters, I've been thinking a lot about what I wanted to do with this topic and came up with numerous ideas, one of which, and the one I liked the most, was the aforementioned Achilles X Riveria ship. However, given this was a recent idea, I hadn't set it up properly, indeed, besides not only having numerous situations where Riviera should have reacted quite profoundly if she had feelings for Achilles, as suggested in the previous chapter, I had, well...nothing.

Now, as "Guest" suggested, I could go back and retroactively add those scenes. However, I feel that's a bit cheap of me and is wrong in a couple of ways, most notably to me that I'm effectively giving newer readers a, well, newer, upgraded story, and not even in the way I plan to do with my old stories to fix up painfully amateur writing from when I was a teenager. So, that didn't seem right. So, what I'm going to do is try my absolute best to correct the discrepancies within this chapter. It may come across as a bit half-assed, I apologize for that in advance and will do my best to make it not appear so, but given the situation I'm putting myself in, that's the best I can do without fully rewriting anything.

That said, if you dislike what I did and/or the way I am taking the story, feel free to tell me and I will cease the path I'm going down and make the necessary corrections to this and the previous chapter to negate the current shipping given that it was not planned out and not the only idea that came to mind with regards to my story.

Alright, whew, sorry about all that, just wanted to clear the air as best I could. As I've said before, you guys have pointed out some very important issues with my story and I greatly appreciate it. Criticism is never easy, but I find it easier to deal with here than elsewhere. This story has also easily received more helpful criticism than perhaps all my other stories combined, many, if not most of which, simply gave me hell because they didn't like it, so, truly, thank you.

Oh, and we've passed 100,000 words with this story!

Now, I've blabbered on quite long enough, it's time to get to the story!

I do not own Danmachi.

* * *

Aiz returned home with a heavy mind and heavier heart.

"_What am I willing to lose?"_

So distracted was she by her thoughts she didn't recognize the group approaching her.

"Hey Aiz!" Tiona called out happily. However, when Aiz failed to register the call and continued to slowly walk away, her smile dropped. "Aiz?"

Not one to let such odd behavior go, the Amazon ran up to the Sword Princess and tapped her shoulder. Everyone nearly had a heart attack when she jumped and turned to them with wide eyes.

"T-Tiona," she said, her heart racing.

"Geez, Aiz, don't scare us like that," Tione said.

"Tione," Aiz replied, as recent events played in her mind.

"_You might not mind so much if Ottar or I died, but what about Riveria? Tiona? Tione? What if it was both?"_ the voice of Achilles played in her head.

"Aiz?" Tione called, seeing her face darken.

"Excuse me," Aiz replied, before quickly turning to leave.

Before she could get far, someone grabbed her arm.

"What's up with you?" Bete demanded.

"Bete...Nothing, I'm just tired," she tried to pull away.

"Bullshit," Bete growled, tightly his grip.

"What's going on here?" They all turned to see Finn, Gareth, Riveria, and Lefiya walking towards them.

"Aiz is acting weird again!" Tiona stated.

"Aiz?" Finn turned to the blonde adventurer.

"It's nothing, captain. I'm just tired."

No one believed that for one obvious reason, that being, while they were all glad that she was showing a great deal more emotion lately, that came at the cost of her outwardly showing what she was feeling and that certainly included distress.

"Does it have something to do with Argonaut-kun?" Tiona asked. "Did you guys fight again?"

While Finn and Gareth showed signs of confusion, Lefiya and Bete showed obvious indicators of anger. Meanwhile, Riveria, in a calmer state of mind, asked a question.

"Did something happen while you were training with Achilles?"

The quick shot of pain that passed through the Sword Princess's eyes was all she needed.

"Come with me," she commanded gently.

Aiz didn't want to follow, but she couldn't refuse the motherly elf, especially not as Achilles's words once more passed through her mind.

Leaving the others behind, much to their combined displeasure given the many unanswered questions, they walked to Aiz's room where they once again found themselves on Aiz's bed.

"So, what happened?" Riveria asked.

"It's nothing," Aiz tried to reassure her. "I'm just tired."

"Aiz." The younger adventurer turned to her. "What happened?"

Things were silent for some time, the young lady of Loki familia desperately not wanting to answer, as if she thought that saying the words out loud would turn them into a prophecy, but, knowing Riveria wasn't going to leave until she had an answer, she took a deep breath and answered.

"At the end of our training, Achilles began to ask me questions."

"I see. What were the questions?"

"The first was why I wanted to kill the Dragon, which I told him. The next was what it would take for me to give up on my vengeance."

"_I'm guessing he wasn't pleased by your answer,"_ Riveria thought.

"When I told him I wasn't going to give up on my vengeance-" Riveria sighed. "He asked me what I was willing to lose."

"And," Riveria wasn't sure she wanted to ask this next question. "What was your answer?"

"I said I was willing to die."

Riveria's fist tightened.

"But he rejected that answer." Riveria's interest piqued. "He repeated his question and when I said I didn't understand he told me…" the pain in her eyes grew exponentially. "He told me to imagine that we all go and fight the Dragon together. Me, him, you and the others, even Ottar and Bell."

Riveria could tell where this was going, and she felt a stone settle into her stomach and the addition of the young rabbit-like adventurer only intensified that feeling.

"He then told me to imagine that at least one of us died in the fight. You. Tiona. Tione. Both. All of you," Aiz's fist tightened, which Riveria did not fail to notice. "Then he asked about Bell. He asked if I would be alright losing Bell."

"A-And...what was your answer?" the mother of Loki familia asked, her voice filled with fear.

"_Please. Please tell me you didn't say you would be."_

"I didn't answer. Achilles stopped me and told me to think about it."

Riveria sighed in relief.

"_Thank Heaven. There are so many ways that could have ended,"_ she thought, rubbing her forehead.

"I don't want to lose anyone."

Riveria looked up and saw Aiz with her head down, her eyes hidden by her hair. The girl's voice had been barely more than a whisper, but Riveria had understood it perfectly.

"And I don't want to lose you," she said. "But that isn't up to us. Life, especially lives like ours, are fleeting and always at risk. We never know if today is the day our lives will end," she said gently.

"I don't want to lose you, Riveria!"

Riveria, shocked and unprepared, suddenly found herself surrounded by Aiz's arms as they clung desperately to her.

"I don't want to lose you, Tiona, Tione, or anyone! I don't want anyone dying for me!" she cried.

Riveria was stunned. Aiz had never shown so much emotion before and for a moment she found herself unsure of what to do. However, after feeling the arms tightly wrapping around her, and hearing the first sounds of crying, she let her natural instincts take charge and wrapped her arms around the younger lady, gently stroking her head.

"I can't promise that I will always be there for you Aiz. Life doesn't allow for such promises. But," she gently lifted Aiz's head to look her in the eyes. "As long as I am here, I will do all I can to make your life as happy as possible. That I will promise."

Aiz, tears in her eyes, stared at her for a moment before giving an almost unnoticeable nod and putting her head back into Riveria's chest.

Riveria, now smiling, continued to gently stroke Aiz's hair as one thought came to dominate her mind and fill her with hope.

"_Please, let this be the start of a new beginning."_

* * *

Achilles stared at the book before him, _Dungeon Oratoria_. He'd been doing this for hours as he contemplated what he'd discovered and what he should do with the information.

"_What information? The idea is insane. However,_" his brow deepened. "_It's not impossible."_

But his mind was still not willing to let it go.

"_And so what if it is true? What does it matter? Really? It doesn't change anything. But what about Bell? How will this affect him?"_

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"_It won't. At least not how he feels about her. If anything it'll just draw him to her more given his heroic nature and love for epic tales. Knowing her history will likely only pull him towards her even more, especially given how sympathetic it is."_

He didn't much care for that idea.

"_Shit."_

"Screw it," he finally proclaimed, getting up. "First, I have to find out if it's true."

He walked into the kitchen where the others were beginning to eat breakfast and enacted his newly minted habit of kissing Bell on top of his head before grabbing his own food.

"Morning everyone," he greeted.

"Morning," they all replied.

He walked over to where Haruhime was, as she having once more taken up the role of making breakfast.

As he was gathering his food, Haruhime noticed that his eyes seemed a bit glassy.

"Are you alright, Achilles?"

He looked up.

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"You look like you're somewhere else."

He smiled.

"Just thinking about some things. Nothing serious, just a curious thing I found in a book," noticing her look, he continued. "If it becomes anything serious I'll be sure to tell you all. I promise."

That satisfied her and she gave him a smile, after all, if he made a promise, he was sure to keep it.

"So," he turned back to the table. "Everyone ready for more fun?" he asked with a smile.

A series of groans passed through the room.

"I'm sore everywhere," Welf stated.

"I'm shocked you didn't break anything," Lili complained.

Achilles chuckled.

"I said the goal was to make you grow as fast as Bell. I wasn't lying."

"Even so," the goddess said. "I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to take it easy, or at least, easier, today."

"Hm, I suppose that wouldn't be a bad idea. Muscles need time to repair and all. I suppose we can take a day off training for today. Besides, I did have something I wanted to do today, so I'll give you all a break. However, we'll be going to the Dungeon tomorrow to make up for it, and I expect a big haul, so you'd all better be prepared."

"Anything's better than another butt kicking," Welf said.

"What did you need to do, Dad?" Bell asked.

"I wanted to talk to Aiz about something that came up last night."

"Aiz-san?" Bell's interest was immediately piqued.

"It's just something I was curious about and it's probably nothing," seeing that this wasn't enough for his son, he continued. "If it turns into something serious I'll be sure to tell you."

While Bell was still curious, this was enough for him and he nodded.

"Tell her I said hello," he said.

"Will do. Oh, before I go. Hestia-sama," the loli goddess turned to him. "I know I've said it before, but please find time today to continue recruiting. We got a pretty good start with Ryuu, but we need more members."

"You can count on me. Hephaestus won't let me do any recruiting while I'm at work, but once I'm done I'll go to the Guild and start handing out flyers."

"Glad to hear it."

"Speaking of which, Dad. Did you send those letters yesterday?" Bell asked.

"I did. No telling how long it'll take to reach their destination, if they do, or if they'll reply at all, but we'll see in time."

"It would be something to meet more members of the Zeus and Hera familia," the rabbit-like young man said.

"Well, given that we have our own lucky rabbit, I think we can expect a decent return."

* * *

Achilles made his way towards Twilight Manor intent on speaking with Aiz.

"_It's probably not wise to just come out and ask, especially not in Loki's headquarters. I'll tire her out with training first then ask her, that way she won't just be able to run away before I get an answer."_

Arriving at the manor, he waited patiently for Aiz to be brought to him.

After a few minutes the girl arrived, though Achilles could tell something was off by the nervous way she seemed unable to look him in the eye.

"_Hm. Peculiar, but interesting."_

"Hello, Achilles-san," she said, a noticeable shake to her voice.

"Hello, Aiz-san," he said, growing more interested. "I have some free time today and was wondering if you'd be up for more training."

To his surprise, she seemed unsure and he couldn't help but narrow his eyes at the odd behavior.

"_Something's going on and it's making me think that I might not be so crazy."_

"I-I," she tried. She took a breath. "Yes. Of course. I have some time as well so that works out just fine. If you wouldn't mind waiting here while I go get my equipment."

"I'll be right here," he responded.

The girl strode off, and again Achilles couldn't fail to notice the speed of which she left him.

"_Yep. Something is definitely going on."_

Some time later, Aiz returned and the two began their trek towards the spot on the wall.

As the made the journey, Achilles took note of the state she was in. Perhaps it was because she had spent so much of her time emotionless, but the girl was absolutely terrible at hiding how she was feeling. As such, on more than one occasion, he saw her look at him with nervous or concerned eyes, all of which increased his interest.

Finally, they arrived at the wall and took their positions.

"Alright, remember what I told you last night," he said.

Aiz froze as what he said last flooded her mind, though not the words he had meant.

"_What are you willing to lose?"_

Achilles, naturally, once again saw this reaction and now found himself completely puzzled.

"_What am I missing?"_

"About me just being a man," he clarified.

"Oh," Aiz instantly snapped out of her trance. "Yes. Of course," she said quickly, her eyes burning with relief.

"_Alright, you have my full curiosity, Aiz,"_ Achilles thought, eyeing her skeptically.

"Then let's begin," he said, getting into position.

"_You'd best prepare yourself Aiz Wallenstein for I plan to get answers and that means you can't be running off before I get them. Hopefully you didn't have too big of a breakfast."_

Aiz got in position and after a silent moment between them, they began.

* * *

Riveria walked through the streets of Orario with a purpose. That purpose being, meet with the young man who had unknowingly, to both of them, stolen Aiz Wallenstein's maiden heart.

Soon enough her target location came within sight. Hearthfire Manor.

Going up to the gate, she found the bell and rang it. Moments later a sweet, feminine voice replied.

"Yes?"

"Good morning. My name is Riveria Ljos Alf and I was wondering if Bell Cranel was here."

"R-Riveria-sama?!" the voice replied. "Um...yes. Yes, Bell-sama is here. Please, come in," the voice finished, and a moment later the gate opened.

"Thank you," Rivieria said, ending the call.

Walking into Hearthfire manor, Riveria was greeted by the sight of a renard in a maid outfit quickly approaching her.

"Welcome, Riveria-sama," Haruhime said with a bow.

"Riveria-san will do just fine," the elf replied with a smile.

"As you wish, Riveria-san. I am Haruhime and I will escort you to Bell-sama."

The two made their way into the manor.

"Lovely home you have," Riveria complimented.

"Thank you, though I know it must be nothing compared to your own home."

"Nonsense, you have a beautiful home, and it is far quieter and more peaceful than my own."

The two shared a smile before Haruhime began leading her through the manor.

"Bell-sama is currently training in the backyard. Everyone else, besides Mikoto-sama are out and about."

"Achilles isn't here?" Riveria asked curiously.

"No. Actually, he said he had something he wished to speak to Aiz-sama about."

That caught Riveria's attention.

"Did he happen to say about what?" she asked.

"He said that it was something that came up last night and that he was curious about. Besides that he only said that if it turned out to be serious he would tell us."

Riveria's brow scrunched as she took in those words.

"_Was he talking about his question? I suppose he could be curious about that. Maybe he wanted an answer after all?" _she contemplated.

Haruhime, seeing the change in her face wondered if she had said too much or otherwise made Riveria uncomfortable, she was also a member of Loki familia after all, but, whatever the reason, both their thoughts were cut short as they arrived in the backyard.

"Ah, there he is," Haruhime said, seeing Bell.

Riveria turned and watched as the young man she had come to see practiced fighting an invisible enemy with skill and precision that would have seemed impossible for one who, mere months ago, was a level one.

"_His growth truly is tremendous, and his dedication and heart are truly inspiring. It's no wonder Aiz has begun to open her heart for him."_

Riveria smiled brightly as Haruhime called out.

"Bell-sama!"

Bell stopped and turned.

"What is it Haru-?" then he saw Riveria and his eyes widened. "Riveria-sama!" he cried.

"Riveria-san will do just fine," the mother of Loki familia repeated.

"Um...how can I help you?" he inquired.

"I was hoping to speak with you for a moment," her eyes turned to Haruhime, who quickly understood.

"I'll leave you two alone. If you need anything, don't be afraid to call for me," she said with a smile, before bowing and leaving the two alone.

"So…" Bell began. "What did you wish to speak to me about, Riveria-san?"

Riveria's smile grew just enough to be seen.

"I wanted to talk to you about someone both you and I hold in great regard."

There was only one person that matched that description and within moments of the words spilling out of her mouth, a bright blush appeared on Bell's cheeks.

She chuckled.

"Relax, Bell Cranel, I have known about your feelings for Aiz for some time."

That did little to ease Bell's embarrassment. Indeed, that only amplified it, but he did wish to know what precisely she wished to speak with him about, and talking about Aiz was certainly not the worst subject.

"_And she's smiling so maybe that means she isn't going to tell me to stop chasing after Aiz-san,"_ he thought optimistically.

"D-Does that mean y-you're not here to tell me I shouldn't be with Aiz-san?" he asked.

"Indeed it does. In fact, I'm here to actively encourage you to go after her."

Bell's eyes widened.

"Really?!"

She nodded.

"Yes. You have been a great influence on Aiz as of late. Before you she rarely, if ever showed emotion, in spite of years of trying from both myself and my familia. It may not be an exaggeration to say that you are a small miracle in that way."

Bell's blush grew.

"I'm not that great."

"I beg to differ, as I suspect many would. Indeed, until you came along I thought it was entirely impossible to even get Aiz to contemplate dropping her terrible quest."

Bell looked at her in shock.

"The Dragon?"

She nodded.

"Yes. It appears last night Achilles asked her what it would take for her to drop her quest for vengeance, to which she replied that she would not."

"_Achilles asked her that? Is that what he wanted to talk to her about today?"_ Bell wondered.

"However," Riveria continued, bringing his attention back to her. "He then asked what she was willing to lose, or perhaps more accurately, who she was willing to lose, and, not to go too far into it, it appears that Aiz may have finally found a limit to her revenge."

Numerous questions popped into Bell's mind at this, but one stood out above the rest.

"So, what would you like me to do?"

Riveria's smile returned.

"I want you to continue pursuing Aiz. She informed me of what happened when she apologized to you a few days ago and, unlike her, I am fully aware of what you wished to say to her."

Again, Bell's blush returned, this time with a fiery vengeance.

"That's why I'm here. From this day forward I'm going to push you two together as best as I can, in spite of how my familia and Achilles feel."

Bell was stunned. Ever since he had fallen for Aiz, everyone had tried to pull him away from her. Hestia, Lili, even his own newly made father and Freya herself. This was the first time anyone had pledged their support to him and his feelings. Perhaps it was for that reason that he did what he did next.

Riveria suddenly found herself enveloped in the arms of the young man as he smothered himself in her bosom.

"Thank you," he said, slightly muffled.

Surprised, but nonetheless quickly coming to understand the reaction, she smiled softly down at him and stroked his hair.

"You're quite welcome."

After a few moments, Bell's instinctive reaction cooled and he realized what he had done, which in turn caused his eyes to widened before he leapt back and began to repeatedly bow and apologize.

Riviera laughed.

"It's alright, Bell-san, I'm not mad or offended. Indeed, I'm glad that I was able to be the bearer of such good news that I was entitled to such a response."

Bell, still blushing madly, finally looked her in the eyes.

"Y-You're the first person to say that I should go after Aiz," he admitted.

She nodded.

"I figured. Though I'm glad to know that no one was able to persuade you from chasing after her."

Bell's eyes suddenly turned firm.

"And no one every will be. I love her with all my heart."

The strength and honesty of his words was quite something to witness for the high elf, but it only made her that much more sure of her decision to come there that day and back the young man.

"I'm glad to hear it. Now, I do believe I have taken up enough of your time today and so will see myself out. But, rest assured, I will be in contact shortly to begin the work of bringing you and Aiz together," with that, she turned to leave.

"Wait!" Bell suddenly called out.

Riveria turned, curiosity dancing in her eyes.

"Yes?"

"I...I need to repay you for this. Please. You could even have ordered me away, but you didn't. Instead you're helping me. Someone outside your familia who you barely know. Please, let me return the favor somehow," Bell pleaded.

The curiosity in Riveria's eyes turned to gentleness as she took in his words.

"There's no need for that, Bell-san, though I appreciate the offer."

"Please," Bell asked again. "I won't feel right if I don't repay you. Maybe...maybe I can help you with the person you love!" he suddenly declared, going with the first thing that came to his head.

Riveria stiffened.

"_He...He can't know...can he?"_

"Um...well...that's very kind of you," she tried. Unbeknownst to her, a slight tinge of red began to appear on her cheeks and the tips of her ears. A fact that didn't go unnoticed by Bell.

"Riveria-sama." She turned her focus to him. "Is there someone you love?"

The redness grew, now to the point where she was fully aware of it. She wanted to deny it. To quickly brush it off and leave, but the way he was looking at her, with those honest, pure, good-natured eyes of his that were begging her to allow him to repay the great favor she was giving him, made that impossible, and so, she sighed.

"It's complicated," she said.

"I have time," he replied quickly.

Things were silent for a moment before she finally responded.

"I've known him for quite some time. Longer than you've been alive," she said with a smile, which in turn, caused Bell to smile. "We were good friends years ago, and I began to feel something towards him that I was neither prepared for, nor wanted."

"Why?" Bell asked.

"He didn't see me that way. He often said I was like an older sister to him. And...he was in love with someone else," she went silent again, a tinge of pain entering her eyes. "So I tried to deny my feelings for him. And for years, it seemed that I had successfully quashed them. Then he left and I knew that what I felt couldn't be denied."

That bit caught Bell's attention.

"_She couldn't mean…?"_

"Interestingly enough, the realization of how I felt made me come to hate him or at least try to, since he had left. For years I thought I'd actually been successful in coming to hate him. Indeed, I was sure I hated him, given all the things he had said and done. But that all changed recently when I almost lost him. Right before my eyes. When that happened, everything I'd been trying to suppress, burst forth, and I knew, I could no longer deny it."

Perhaps it was because of the intense emotion that she was feeling, or Bell's ability to pull people's honest feelings out of themselves, but Riveria somehow had not realized all she had admitted until she had finished doing so. When she did, her eyes widened and she looked at Bell and discovered his eyes were as wide as hers.

"Riveria-sama…" he tried to begin. "Why does that sound familiar?"

She didn't answer. She couldn't. The realization of what she had said was now filling her with crippling embarrassment.

"Riveria-sama...Did this person recently return to Orario after being gone for fifteen years?"

She did not answer.

"Was this person almost Charmed by a goddess of beauty?" he pressed.

Her eyes fell as she, again, did not answer.

"And have I recently begun to call him my father?"

Knowing she could no longer deny him an answer, she nodded.

Once more, silence fell over them as their minds raced.

"D-Does he have any idea?" he finally managed to ask.

She shook her head.

"No. His eyes were always on Freya...at least until recently."

"What do you mean, 'until recently'?"

"He didn't tell you? Achilles told me he thinks that, after what happened at the party with you and Freya, that he might be at the beginning of freeing himself from Freya."

Bell looked ready to shout for joy and run the entire circumference of Orario at that news.

"Then you must act!" he declared.

The declaration startled Riveria who quickly shook her head.

"I can't. Not only does he still love Freya, but he doesn't see me that way."

"Then change how he sees you," Bell pushed. "And I'll help you."

"What?"

"This is how I'll repay you. You're helping me with Aiz, so I'll help you with Achilles."

Riveria felt like her brain was on fire with how things were turning out and she desperately wished to end this embarrassing conversation.

"I couldn't ask that of yo-."

"Then it's a good thing you're not asking, I'm telling you!"

Riveria fell silent and stared at Bell.

"You and I have people we care about, that we want to see happy. You've entrusted Aiz to me, and now I want to entrust Achilles to you. So let me help you. Let me pull him from the person _I_ think is wrong for _him_ and push him towards the person that, to me, seems like she'll treat him right and give him what _he_ needs."

Riveria had been impressed by Bell many times in the past. The Minotaur. The War Games. The party. Even when he had faced her familia down and gone after that odd monster. Each time he showed remarkable courage and drive, especially for one so young and new to the life of an adventurer. Yet this moment, not only seeing, but being the direct focus of his determination filled her with an even greater admiration than she had ever felt before for the young man.

She smiled and nodded.

"Very well. Then I entrust myself to your care, Bell-san."

Bell returned the smile with one of his own blinding ones.

"And I do likewise with you, Riveria-sama."

* * *

The two were sweating profusely, with blood dripping down and bruises appearing on both of their bodies.

"_That should do it,"_ Achilles thought.

Aiz was, by far, the one who had received the worst of it. Achilles had come at her even more intensely than he had the previous day, which had been a surprise to her, but which she had done her best to match during the course of their combat. However, his experience, tactics, skill, and overall power, each outmatched her own, and that led to a fiendish training session.

"Good. You took my words to heart and started treating me like an opponent, not a legend."

Aiz, breathing heavily and clearly in pain, nodded.

"You were right...my mind was in the wrong place."

"And you corrected it, quickly as well. That's something that some have a hard time doing at all. You should be proud."

Surprised by the kind words, Aiz stared at him for a moment, mouth slightly agape, before a small smile appeared and she bowed.

"Thank you, Achilles-san."

"You're welcome…" he took a breath. "Aiz Waldstein."

She froze.

Achilles simply stared down at her.

Slowly, she began to lift her head.

"H-How?"

Without a word, he pulled out _Dungeon Oratoria_.

Opening it up, he began to read.

"Then the day of reckoning came. The Black Dragon appeared and attacked the great heroes. Albert fought bravely, and even succeeded in taking one of the monster's eyes, but it came at the cost of his life. Aria's fate was worse as the beast captured her and flew off into the unknown. The fate of their daughter is unknown for she disappeared during the chaos. Legend has it that she is still chasing the beast to this day, seeking to avenge her father and rescue her mother."

Achilles turned back to her.

"Yesterday you told me that your father was killed by the Dragon and your mother kidnapped. I have never heard that story before, except," he held up the book. "Here. Added onto that I remembered another piece of the story," he turned back to the book. "They wed, and soon had a child together, in spite of the fact that Aria was a spirit. How they managed to accomplish this remains a mystery. The child was a beautiful girl. Although her name has been lost to history, what is known is that she took after her mother except that, where Aria's eyes were a deep blue, the daughter's eyes were of the purest gold."

Finished, his eyes returned to hers.

"That, plus a few other tidbits, allowed me to put the pieces together," he explained.

Aiz didn't know how to respond. Her secret, the secret that her familia had warned her to keep quiet had been discovered, and discovered so suddenly.

"W-What do you plan to do?" she managed to ask.

"Do? What exactly can one do with something like this?" Achilles inquired.

"You're...You're not going to reveal it?" she asked.

"To who? The public? No. Even if I thought they'd believe me, what would be the point in that? So you're Albert and Aria Waldstein's daughter. So what? I was just curious. Now, if you're asking whether or not I'll tell Bell, and in turn Hestia familia, the answer is yes. I'm not going to keep a secret from him, especially not in regards to you."

"_Now if you could only figure out why,"_ he thought.

Aiz was silent for a moment as she took in what Achilles said.

While she was glad that Achilles wouldn't tell everyone, the thought that he would tell Bell gave her a sinking feeling in her stomach she did not like.

"May I tell him?"

Achilles gave her a curious look.

"You want to tell him?"

"If he's going to find out anyway, I'd like to be the one that tells him. Please."

By all rights, if she wanted to be the one to tell Bell, she should be, but a part of Achilles didn't like it.

"_He was already likely to be even more drawn to her because of this, but if she's the one telling him, being honest and opening up to him, his heart will be even more firmly in her hands."_

He didn't like that idea, especially after his recent talk with Haruhime, but it didn't seem right to deny her.

"Very well. But no funny business. You will tell him the truth, and only the truth, am I clear?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Then," he grabbed a potion and tossed it to her. "Heal your wounds and prepare yourself, because I'm not letting this sit."

The two returned to the Hestia home some time later, Achilles letting them in.

"Welcome back, Achilles," Haruhime greeted. "Oh, Aiz-sama. Welcome," she said with a bow.

"Afternoon. Is Bell here?" Aiz asked.

"Bell-sama? Ah yes, he's in the back. He actually just finished talking with Riveria-sama not long ago."

"Riveria?" Both gave her an odd look. "What was she doing here?" Achilles asked.

"I'm not sure. She just said she wanted to talk to Bell-sama," Haruhime answered.

"Hm."

"_I think I can guess what she was here for,"_ Achilles thought.

"Alright. Well, Aiz needs to talk to him," Achilles explained.

"Oh?" Haruhime's look turned nervous. Achilles quickly signalled it wasn't what she was thinking, easing her a bit. "Well, then I'll get back to my duties."

"Thank you, Haruhime."

"Thank you," Aiz said to the departing renard.

The two continued towards the back and just before they reached it, Achilles stopped.

"I'll leave you here. But remember, the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Understand?"

"Yes. I swear," she replied.

"Alright. Go on."

Leaving Achilles behind, Aiz continued into the backyard.

Like Riveria earlier, she found Bell training and was, herself, impressed with how far he's come.

_"He's growing so fast,"_ she thought. However, unlike the previous times she thought this, there was no jealousy or malice. In fact, a warm feeling filled her and caused her to smile.

"Bell," she called.

Bell would have recognized that voice if he was deaf.

Tripping over his feet, he promptly fell over.

"Are you alright?" she asked, rushing over to him.

Unfazed by his fall, his sole attention fell on the Sword Princess.

"A-Aiz-san?! What are you doing here?" he asked, getting up, an unquestionable blush on his cheeks.

"I have something to tell you," she said.

"To...tell me?"

"_It can't be. Me and Riveria just talked. There's no way she got to Aiz that quickly!"_ he thought.

"Yes," she said seriously.

"W-What is it?"

"I'm not who you think I am."

Bell froze.

"What? Of course you are. You're Aiz Wallenstein. The Sword Princess. The greatest adventurer in Orario."

Something about the way he said that, without a hint of mockery or irony made her heart feel funny, but she pushed passed it. She swore she would tell Bell the truth and she meant it.

"My name isn't Aiz Wallenstein. My name, my real name, is Aiz Waldstein."

Bell blinked. Being a fan of heroic legends, he recognized that name instantly.

"Waldstein? But that's the last name of Albert, the Sword Hero."

She nodded.

"Yes. He is my father, and my mother is Aria Waldstein," she stated bluntly.

Bell's mouth fell open.

"But...wha...how?" was all he was able to manage.

Aiz shook her head.

"I don't know. We were being attacked by the Dragon, I...I saw my mother be captured and my father attempt to rescue before…" she couldn't finish.

"Aiz-san," Bell said, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"Then suddenly," she continued, finding her voice. "I was surrounded by something. Magic of some kind, and ended up here. In your time," she finished.

"You're...you're telling me the truth...aren't you?"

She nodded.

"Yes. The whole truth, and nothing but it."

For the second time that day, Bell surprised a lady of the Loki familia by suddenly embracing her in a hug.

"It must have been so hard for you. To go through all of that, only to end up here. I'm so sorry Aiz-san."

The sincerity of his words, alongside the warmth of his arms brought tears to her eyes as relief and comfort washed over her. It was not long before her own arms wrapped around him.

"You're not mad at me?"

"Mad? Why would I be mad?" Bell asked, still hugging her.

"I don't know. Loki told me I shouldn't tell anyone as she wasn't sure how they'd react."

"Well, I'm certainly not mad at you," Bell said, pulling back to give her a smile. "If anything, this only shows you really are amazing, Aiz-san. To have gone through so much, yet to be here, living and going on adventures. You really are just as great as I've always thought you were."

Aiz had received compliments before, plenty of them, but none of them hit her heart quite like Bell's did with his blinding smile, and once more she found her heart beating erratically and her cheeks feeling warmer with no understanding as to why.

"T-Thank you, Bell. That means a great deal to me, coming from you," she said.

"I'm only telling the truth, Aiz-san," he said, which only seemed to increase her curious problems. "But, why did you decide to tell me this?"

"Achilles-san discovered it and allowed me the opportunity to tell you myself."

"Achilles?" his eyes turned and he saw that his father was standing in the window, watching them.

"_So this is what he wanted to talk to Aiz about."_

"Well, I'm glad you told me. I'm honored you have so much faith in me. I'll do my best to earn that trust."

Aiz smiled.

"You already have."

The two made their way back inside where Achilles was waiting for them.

"I told him. Everything," Aiz confirmed.

Achilles turned his eyes to Bell.

"It doesn't matter that she isn't from our time, nor that she has famous parents. She still Aiz and nothing changes that," the captain of the Hestia familia said resolutely.

Achilles nodded.

"Fair enough. Though I failed to inquire as to whether or not you know how you got here."

She shook her head.

"I don't. When the Dragon attacked I was surrounded by some kind of magic, that's all I know."

"Can you remember what it looked like?"

Aiz thought for a moment.

"At first I was too focused on my parents, but after I lost sight of them, I tried to escape. When I did, my hand was filled with something that looked like sand."

Achilles nodded.

"_So it was that."_

"I see. Well, thank you. And thank you for being honest," Achilles said, giving her a small bow.

"Thank you for giving me the chance to tell Bell myself."

"It was the right thing to do. However, both of us are inclined to inform Hestia familia about this."

She nodded.

"I understand."

"Dad," Bell cut in, worry in his eyes. "Do we have to? It's not our secret."

"We're apart of it now, and we promised not to keep secrets from your familia," Achilles reminded him.

Bell looked concerned for a moment before Aiz spoke up again.

"It's alright. I fully understand your commitment to your familia. In fact, I wish I could tell my familia."

"They don't know?" Bell asked.

"Loki, Riveria, Finn, and Gareth know, but the others don't," she informed them.

"Hm, makes sense, Loki would want this kept between the fewest people possible if only because there's no way to predict how everyone will react. That said, I think you can trust us and the rest of Hestia familia to not spread this info."

"Thank you," she responded.

With that, Bell escorted her out.

"I am really glad that you felt you could trust me with this, Aiz-san, even if Achilles was sort of forcing you," he said, a bit embarrassed.

"I wanted to tell you myself and I don't regret it. I feel like it was right to tell you," she replied honestly.

"I'll be sure to live up to that trust."

"I know you will."

The two bid each other goodbye, Aiz surprising him with one final hug, which lasted more than a few seconds, before she left, leaving Bell and Achilles to talk about what had just been revealed.

Bell found Achilles sitting in the living room, reading.

"So this is what you needed to talk to Aiz-san about?"

"It is," Achilles responded, closing the book.

"How'd you figure it out?"

Achilles held up the book.

"She said something that sounded a bit too familiar to someone who's read this dozens of times."

"Were you expecting that this would change my feelings for Aiz-san?"

Achilles shook his head.

"No. In fact, I suspected it would only amplify them. And it looks like I was right."

"Were you hoping that it would change them?"

Achilles did not answer immediately, instead deciding to look over the cover of the well-worn book.

"Yes."

The two were silent as Achilles fiddled with the book and Bell stared down at him.

"My feelings for her won't change. She's the one I want to be with."

Achilles nodded again.

"And I was sure who I wanted to be with, yet, as I've come to realize, things can change."

"Because you might be getting over your feelings for Freya?"

Achilles turned to him in surprise.

"Riveria told me."

"Ah. I was curious what you two talked about."

"She came to say that she would help me and Aiz come together."

"How generous of her, and quite the powerful ally you've gotten for yourself."

"And I promised I'd help her come together with the one she loves."

"Did you now? Huh. She dodged my question yesterday about whom she liked, but goes and tells you. Funny that. I guess she figured I tease her, especially if I found out it was full blown love."

No response came from Bell, which caught Achilles attention. He turned and saw his son staring down at him with a particular, and slightly unnerving look.

"_What's that look?"_

The sudden appearance of Haruhime snapped them away from their conversation and any potential answers.

"Is Aiz-sama gone?"

"Yes. She just left," Bell said with a smile.

"What did she wish to speak to you about, Bell-sama?"

"It's probably best we wait for everyone to get back before we go into that," the rabbit-like young man answered.

Haruhime, confused, turned to Achilles who, again, signalled that things were fine.

"Very well. Would you like me to bring them here once they return home?"

"That would be appreciated. Thank you, Haruhime," Bell answered, giving her his signature smile.

"Of course, Bell-sama," she replied happily, a noticeable bit of red coming to her bright face.

It was not long before the first of the familia returned, in this case, Lili.

"Afternoon, Bell-sama," she greeted happily.

"Afternoon, Lili," he returned with a smile.

"What are you doing?" she asked, seeing that he and Achilles were sitting together, but not looking like they were doing anything.

"We're waiting for everyone to return so we can talk about something."

"What do you want to talk about? Has something happened?" she asked with concern.

"It's nothing major, just something we learned today," Bell replied, trying not to say too much.

Lili seemed suspicious with the way he phrased that and began to eye him. As she did, Haruhime entered the room.

"Haruhime, do you know what this meeting is about?" Lili asked.

"Not precisely, but evidently it has something to do with Aiz-sama."

"The Sword Princess?"

Haruhime nodded.

"She visited not too long ago. Interestingly enough Riveria-sama also visited, both to see Bell."

"What?!" Lili declared, turning on Bell who began to sweat nervously.

"Oh boy, sounds like Lil' Lili is mad about something."

They all turned to see Welf and Ryuu enter the room.

"Welcome back, Welf-sama. Ryuu-sama," Haruhime greeted.

"Thanks, Haruhime. Now, mind telling me why Lili's all in a huff."

Haruhime looked ready to answer, but Lili, in her anger, beat her to it.

"The Sword Princess _and_ the Nine Hells came to visit Bell-sama today!"

Welf whistled.

"Seems you're quite popular with famous ladies, Bell. Then again, we already knew you liked powerful women."

Bell blushed while Achilles chuckled. The ladies of the room were not so pleased as Haruhime looked down, saddened; Ryuu gained a hint of hostility built from jealousy to her eyes; and Lili flew into a rage.

"This is no laughing matter! Two women came specifically for him. Two! And he's refusing to tell us why until everyone's here."

"Then there's no reason to get all upset about it until then. Bell will tell us soon enough," the elder brother of the familia stated.

Bell promptly began to vigorously nodded his head.

Achilles, having lost his smile when he saw Haruhime's saddened features, raised his voice in agreement.

"Well said. And it's really not all that bad. Just a point of interest that we thought we were duty-bound to share given our promise to be honest."

"Don't try and downplay this! I know you had something to do with Bell-sama suddenly becoming a playboy."

Achilles raised his arms in confusion.

"What did I do?"

Welf just shrugged.

"What's going on?"

Mikoto entered the room, fresh from a long bath and pleasant nap, evidence of which was provided for given her attire and the fact she was currently rubbing her eyes.

"You were here?!" Lili cried.

Startled, it took a moment for Mikoto to respond.

"I-I took a bath and a nap," she admitted.

"You could have prevented this!"

Welf stepped in to save the poor, frightened Mikoto, who still had no idea what was going on.

"No she couldn't have. If Aiz and Riveria wanted to talk to Bell, they had that right. Besides, I think the only one capable of stopping them in this room is Achilles."

Said man smiled.

"You bet your ass I could."

"Aiz-san and Riveria-san came here?" Mikoto asked.

"Yeah," Welf answered. "Apparently they talked to Bell about something."

"They came separately, Aiz didn't even know Riviera had come," Bell explained. "And, to answer your earlier question, Mikoto-san, we're waiting for everyone to arrive so that Dad and I can tell you something. Now we're just waiting for Hestia-sama."

"I see. Well, she probably won't get off work for a while, and she did say she would go to the Guild afterwards to try and recruit new members, so it may be some time until she arrives. So why don't we prepare dinner so that we can eat either after or during whatever you have to say."

"Sounds like a plan," Achilles said.

Everyone else quickly agreed, except for Lili, who was still upset.

"Don't think this gets either of you off the hook," she declared.

"Of course," Achilles responded. "Haruhime, mind helping me grab ingredients?"

"I'd be happy to."

The two walked away, a suspicious Lili glaring all the while.

"How are they supposed to grab ingredients when they don't know what we're making yet?"

* * *

The two walked to the pantry and Haruhime began to look through the items inside.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her head, slowly stroking her hair.

"You haven't lost him," Achilles said gently.

She turned to him.

"But how can I compare to either of those two?"

Achilles smiled at her and got on one knee in front of her.

"First off, Riveria's not interested in him, of that I can assure you. Secondly, I'll actually tell you what I told her, or more accurately, asked her. What brought those two together? Why does Bell love Aiz?"

"He fell in love with her when she saved him."

"Correct. Chance. They met by complete chance. That's what connects them."

"But the same is true of me and Bell-sama."

"True, but unlike Aiz, you two share an interest and a familia, not only certain qualities like being driven."

"But she's helped him on numerous occasions."

"And you haven't?" he immediately countered.

She still seemed disheartened and it hurt Achilles to see her lose faith in herself and her chances with the young man she loved.

"Haruhime, you are the purest person I think I've ever met. Maybe even more so than Bell. You are good, kind, not marred by jealousy or malice-."

"But I am," she cut in. "I am jealous. I'm jealous that Aiz-sama has his love. I'm jealous that no matter how close I am to him physically, she will always be closer to his heart and mind," she said, tears coming to her eyes.

"Oh, my poor sweet girl," he cooed, bringing her into his arms. "That's not jealousy. Not really. It's just the pain you feel from unrequited love. But that's why we have to fight. Fight to get you the man you love, who you deserve, and who deserves you. Aiz is a good, driven person, but you," he pulled back, put her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. "You are beyond that. You are a saint. A representation of what is right in this world. You are what men like Bell and I strive to protect. You are a kind of earthly divinity that no god or goddess could ever match."

Haruhime's tear filled eyes widened at his words, so powerful, yet poetic that they seemed to burn through the air.

"Y-You think that?"

He smiled.

"I do. Haruhime. You are above what men like me can hope for. You are an ideal, and only an ideal man would ever be worthy of you. And you found him! And you're so close to him. You just need to push. To slowly bring yourself closer to him, inch by inch, until you're right next to him. Until he sees you for who you are. That ideal. And once he does, once he realizes who you are, that ideal, that saint, the earthly divinity, he will open his heart to you and love you with everything he has. I _promise _you."

The tears returned to Haruhime's eyes, only now, they were joyous tears as his promises resounded through her heart and she knew, unquestionably, that he would keep his word.

She threw her arms around him and snuggled her head into the crook of his neck.

"Thank you," she said with muffled voice.

"You're welcome, my dear sweet, Haruhime," he said, once more stroking her hair. "You are very welcome."

* * *

The two returned some time later, after Haruhime had calmed down and dried her eyes, with bundles of ingredients in their arms.

"You two took awhile," Lili said, still suspicious.

"Yeah, we realized we didn't know what we were going to cook so we just sort of grabbed everything so that we could all figure it out," Achilles replied.

The prum lady did not care for that answer but there was little she could do, especially as everyone began to discuss what they should make.

A decision made, they all began work on dinner, talking away as they each prepared part of the meal that was to come. Finally, all the preparation done, they left the meal to cook, and not a moment too soon as Hestia herself came through the front doors.

"I'm so tired," she whined.

"Welcome home, Hestia-sama," Bell greeted.

"Bell-kun," she said, a little less tired thanks to his presence. "Today was so long. Hephaestus worked me to the bone, and then I had to go to the Guild and try to recruit people. They were so rude! Asking about my debt or wanting to know things about Achilles, as if having a such a lovely goddess wasn't a good enough reason to join!"

Bell smiled as she talked, content to listen to her. However, a loud clearing of someone's throat turned his attention away.

"I believe you can finally tell us what happened between you and Aiz Wallenstein now," Lili stated.

Hestia's twin tails suddenly rose in the air.

"Wallen-whatisit?! You talked to her? Again?!" she demanded.

"She came here asking to talk to me again," he admitted.

"Not only her, but Riveria-sama, another member of Loki familia came to talk to Bell-sama apparently," Lili added.

"What? Who's this, River-ia?"

"A beautiful high elf that would love nothing more than to eat up someone like Bell-sama!"

"What?!"

"Alright, calm down," Achilles cut it. "For starters, that is a gross mischaracterization of Riveria. I can swear, with complete honesty, that she has no interest in claiming Bell."

"I swear too," Bell added.

"As for what Aiz had to say, we were actually waiting for everyone to arrive so that we could inform you, exactly as to what she wanted to talk to Bell about. Now that you're here, we will be happy to do so, and then, afterwards we can have a nice dinner," Achilles finished.

Both Hestia and Lili eyed Achilles suspiciously, looking for any hint of falsity. Finding none, they relented, but only just.

"Alright, but no funny business. You will tell us everything!" Hestia demanded.

"Of course," Achilles said.

So everyone gathered in the living room and took a seat.

"Alright, so this all began last night when I was training Aiz. After we were done training, I asked her a series of questions, the answer to one of those questions caught my attention," he began. "I asked Aiz why she wanted to kill the One-Eyed Black Dragon. She told me it was because it had killed her father and kidnapped her mother. Now that last part caught my attention as I'd never heard such a story before, at least, I thought I'd hadn't."

Everyone looked confused, except for Bell who knew where he was going.

"Later that night, I realized that the story Aiz had told me actually sounded familiar," Achilles grabbed _Dungeon Oratoria_ and began reading.

"Then the day of reckoning came. The Black Dragon appeared and attacked the great heroes. Albert fought bravely, and even succeeded in taking one of the monster's eyes, but it came at the cost of his life. Aria's fate was worse as the beast captured her and flew off into the unknown. The fate of their daughter is unknown for she disappeared during the chaos. Legend has it that she is still chasing the beast to this day, seeking to avenge her father and rescue her mother."

"But that's not the only bit that got my mind rolling," he said, before continuing.

"They wed, and soon had a child together, in spite of the fact that Aria was a spirit. How they managed to accomplish this remains a mystery. The child was a beautiful girl. Although her name has been lost to history, what is known is that she took after her mother except that, where Aria's eyes were a deep blue, the daughter's eyes were of the purest gold."

He put the book down.

"Haruhime," he turned to the renard. "Could you describe Aria Waldstein to us, please?"

"Aria Waldstein? Well, she was stated as being very beautiful, with pale skin, long blonde hair, and, as the story says, blue eyes. She was also supposed to be very kind and powerful."

"Thank you. Now, I want you all to think, who do you know that is beautiful, has long blonde hair and, instead of blue eyes, has ones of purest gold? If you need a hint, here's another one. Her name sounds an awful lot like Aria Waldstein."

Naturally, it did not take long for any of them to put the pieces he had placed before them together and everyone's eyes widened.

"That's...impossible," Lili said.

"And yet, it's the truth," Achilles said. "Aiz is not, really, Aiz Wallenstein, but Aiz Waldstein, the daughter of Albert Waldstein, the Sword Hero, and Aria Waldstein, the wind spirit."

Things were quiet for a while as everyone tried to wrap their heads around this. It didn't make any logical sense, yet they knew that neither Achilles, nor Bell would lie to them, especially not with something as ludicrous as this.

"But...how?" Mikoto asked.

"There is a way," Achilles said.

"There is?" this time it was Bell who asked as he was as much in the dark as the rest were.

Achilles nodded.

"There is. Now, what I'm about to tell you was a secret bestowed upon only the captains of the Zeus and Hera familia and is not something that should be shared. Am I understood?"

Noting the sudden seriousness of his tone, they all found themselves agreeing.

"Good. Now, the reason that Zeus and Hera familia were the leading familia in Orario was not purely because of our strength or adventuring prowess, it was also because of what we had locked away. You see, the two of them, mostly Zeus, had collected powerful items throughout the ages, dating all the way back to the very beginning of the world. These items were stored in a vault within Zeus familia headquarters for safe keeping. One of these items does have the potential of moving someone across time. That item is called, the Hourglass of Kronos."

Now, for the mortals in the room, this meant nothing. It was simply a curious name they had never heard of. However, for the goddess of the hearth, what was just said was world shattering.

Hestia's eyes widened to an extreme size, her skin began to sweat, her heart raced more terribly than it ever had and all the while Achilles was staring right at her, taking in her response with knowing eyes.

"Who's Kronos, Achilles?" Haruhime asked.

Turning his eyes away from Hestia, he answered.

"Kronos was a being from ancient times. The legendary era before the gods began to descend to earth. He was a powerful figure capable of bending time. His hourglass has the same ability, but requires a large amount of power to use it. Likely the kind of travel that Aiz faced would be beyond the power of even the most powerful mortal to accomplish, meaning that it was likely a god that transported Aiz to our time."

"But which god? And why?" Bell asked.

"I have a hunch, but I can't say for certain and want to think on it more, "Achilles replied. "That said, Aiz's comment earlier about what happened when she was transported here confirms my thoughts."

"This is a lot to take in," Welf said.

"Not really. Not in the end," Achilles responded. "Aiz is still Aiz, technically speaking, just with her background filled in now. And every familia has its secrets, my familia just had quite a few interesting ones."

"Do you have any more?" Lili asked in exasperation.

"I do, but if I go into all of them, we'll be here all night and you'll all have headaches," he answered honestly.

"Then," Haruhime cut in. "Might I suggest we let our brains cool and warm our stomachs? Dinner's almost ready and thinking about such things on an empty stomach is not good for you."

"Wonderfully said, and I for one agree," Achilles said.

"Can't really argue with that, my head feels all kinds of fuzzy," Welf stated.

"Some food will do us all some good," Ryuu added.

"Wonderful. Then take your places everyone and we'll enjoy a nice meal," Haruhime said with a smile.

No one felt like arguing, so they all got up and made their way towards the kitchen. All except for a certain dark-haired loli and Bell, who noticed his goddess sitting as still as a statue.

"Hestia-sama?"

She blinked and turned to him.

"Y-Yes, Bell-kun?"

"Are you alright?"

"O-Oh, yes! Yes I'm fine! I just...the whole thing's kind of weird, isn't it?"

Something felt odd about her response, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"I guess it is. But I suppose it doesn't really change much."

"I-I guess you're right," she said chuckling. Before he could ask anymore questions, she continued. "Now let's get some food, I am absolutely starving!"

Confused, Bell nonetheless followed after her and took his spot at the table, ready to eat.

* * *

Dinner went by with the usual pleasant banter and the food was as wonderful as it normally was, with everyone eating their fill, before aiding in the clean up.

"Well, another eventful day," Welf said.

"Quite," Mikoto said.

"And we'll have another one tomorrow," Achilles proclaimed. "But this time, with no mind-numbing confusion, just good, old-fashioned monster hunting."

"Sounds good to me," Welf stated.

"Then we should all go get our rest," Haruhime said.

"She's right," Bell said.

With that, everyone bid goodnight, Achilles giving Bell his newly minted traditional head kiss, before excusing himself to go smoke outside.

Hestia watched all her children go, smiling brightly and happily bidding them all goodnight. She watched every one of them head off to bed, and waited until she heard every last door close before she lost her smile. Then, fear eating at her immortal heart, she made her way outside.

Achilles was standing, looking up at the moon, slowly smoking his pipe.

"Evening, Hestia-sama," he greeted, not even needing to turn his head to know she was there.

Her fear grew and grew every second that she watched him smoke his pipe while looking up at the moon without a care in the world. She needed to ask him the question that threatened to consume her, but the fear of what answer she would receive threatened to do the exact same.

"H-How...How much do you know?" she finally forced out.

Now, he finally looked at her.

"Everything. I know everything."

Her heart stopped.

* * *

Whew! Sheesh. This one was a toughy. Had to think and rethink what I wanted to do with this one in a maddening loop of ideas. But, it's finally done. Thank goodness. Sorry it took so long, this one was probably the hardest one to write so far, but I am glad I was able to get everything I wanted in it, as well as some other, unplanned goodies. That said, I hope this chapter was able to, at least partially, make up for the mistakes with the Achilles X Riveria situation. I know it's patchwork, but I did the best I could think of since I didn't want to go back and change things. Anyway, I do hope that you enjoyed the chapter. If you did, or even if you didn't, please, feel free to review the story. Tell me what you liked, where I need to improve or things I need to fix, all that good stuff. I do read what you have to say, though I do still need to get around to making certain corrections as of writing this, but I swear I plan to do them. With that though, thank you very much for reading and, until next time, bye for now.


	15. Chapter 15

Hello everyone. Sorry I haven't updated in a while, there are a few reasons for that, but mostly things have been a bit hectic in my life recently and that had the effect of me not getting around to writing this chapter. On that note, I am going to apologize beforehand that this will be a short chapter and more of an interlude than a proper advancement of the plot. The reason for that is threefold. The first reason is that, given the deluge of positive reviews and feedback, I wanted to spend some time to thank you guys individually at the beginning of this chapter for your kind words. Secondly, I want a bit more time to think about what I want to do for the series in the future. When I started this series I had few key elements and scenes planned out that either have, or will be shown in the future, while leaving the interconnecting bits open to being filled in. However, as time went on, more and more got added and, while the planned plot will remain the same, it has added both more to work _**with**_ and more I need to work _**in**_ to the story, which necessarily complicates and lengthens the process. Not that I'm upset by that, much of what was added I am very happy with, for example the Bell X Achilles father relationship. That was not planned until people began reviewing about it. Drake Atlas's request to include his OC, alongside requests for more members of Zeus and Hera familia to make an appearance, both of which I fully plan to do, has actually given me an idea for the story that works in quite well with my original idea and which I am very grateful for. However, all of this takes time and contemplation. So, I apologize that things are, and may continue to take a bit more time to write. I will do my best, but sometimes things just get in the way, so I hope you'll forgive me that. Finally, given the second reason, I didn't want to keep you guys waiting any longer by writing a chapter that may well have been 20,000 words by the time I got everything I want down, so I'm giving you a shorter chapter to hold you over for a bit while I get everything sorted. Now, I think it's time I do some bribing, so let's get to the fan appreciation shall we? We'll be focusing on the most recent chapter, else we'll be here a really long time so, to start with. Minor spoilers and some reminders ahead:

**Lucius Walker**: I'm so glad that you approve of the Bell X Achilles relationship. I sometimes worry it's coming off as too unrealistic, it happened very quickly after all, but I've done my best within the story. Your words on Achilles are also greatly appreciated. I know many people don't like OCs, often with very good reason, my very first OC was a terribly OP, edgy, nonsense of a character, and was more a plot device than a character, so I'm glad that I can now create a fully fleshed out character that earns such praise. On the novels, you should most certainly read them. I don't have all of them myself, but they are great reads. Novel seven is my personal favorite. Your words on the Hourglass coming off like canon were very touching, and I can't really express how happy I am that I can write something that someone could think was legitimately apart of canon. I have tried my best to make the story seem as close to the canon as possible, at least up to volume eleven, and reading that review really made my day, so thank you.

**dereturd**:Firstly, thank you very much for reviewing, I do appreciate it. Secondly, I do understand your position with Bell X Aiz. It would seem a bit weird if Bell doesn't end up with Aiz, at least not without a good reason, though don't expect things to be so cut and dry as that in my story, I've got a few surprises in store :p . I am glad that my Riveria fix didn't come across as half-assed. I did my best to patch up my mistakes, but I was worried. As for the Zeus and Hera familia, yes, they will be based off Greek/Roman mythology and historical figures, however I am curious as to why you would like some OCs named Adam and Bruce added. Are they from another series that you love? If so, I can at least try to work something in, though I can't promise necessarily a Zeus or Hera familia member. But, given that Hestia is recruiting, who knows, maybe she happens to pull in two young chaps named Adam and Bruce? And yes, Hestia is hiding something, and she's not the only one. More and more will be revealed as time goes on, but not too much yet.

"**Guest"**: I appreciate your flexibility with the pairings, a lot of people can be pretty connected to their pairings, myself included to some degree, and I don't want to start shipping war...yet. As for Freya, she is most certainly not out of the game. I've got a few ideas with her, but I want to think a bit more on what to do with her. She's too interesting a character to mishandle and I fear I haven't been giving her the proper care she deserves, so I'll have to work on that. Aiz and Bell will certainly have more moments in the future, as will Bell and Haruhime. As for Lefiya, I need to get my hands on the light novels for the side story as everyone says that the anime did it no justice and, given how annoyed I was with Lefiya, I suspect they're speaking the truth. If my opinion of her grows in response, I will happily add more of her. And Bell will certainly be encountering Revis in the future, I just need to think of how to get there.

**Drake Atlas**: Hello again, and I'm very happy I could bring a smile to your face with all the love going around. I am quite glad you're enjoying the story, including the Riveria X Aiz bits. There have been a few times I thought I was pushing the "Mama of Loki familia" idea a bit too hard, but if you're enjoying it, that's what matters. You hit the nail on the head of something I was worried about. Aiz immediately giving in when Achilles confronted her. Unfortunately, I don't really have an excuse. It was simply a matter of I was concerned about the lack of new chapter and the already long length of the chapter in question and didn't want to drag things out another 500-1000 words as she tried to deny the truth that was eventually going to come out. That was lazy of me, and I apologize. I will attempt, once again, to patch that up a bit in this chapter, but it will be patchwork, so I do apologize again. On Riveria and Achilles, thank you for your generous words. Riveria is a calm, collected person, but I was worried, as stated, that my attempts to explain away her lack of response to all that was happening with Achilles was mediocre. However, I am very glad that you enjoyed the chapter and the scene between Bell and Riviera and I will strive to do even better in the future.

**Satellizersama**: Thank you so much, and bless you for such a joyful review. It still makes me smile :) .

**kageg200**: I am working on trying to make sure everyone is included in the story, though sometimes that's difficult, especially given that certain characters are meant to have center stage. However, I will work on it, and soon enough we will see Ryuu get her moment as well as a few interesting scenes will other characters, both canon and OC, but I fully recognize and agree with your assessment and will strive to make sure no one's pushed to the side. We love these characters and they deserve their time in the limelight.

**On Soaring Wings**: Oh, you'll be getting hints soon enough, however, the better question is: what did _all_ the gods do?

**giacomoX**: I apologize for the confusion, but you'll be getting a bit more in this chapter with what happened with Hestia, but not too much. Thank you for accepting the Riveria explanation, I know it could easily have been viewed as poorly done, so I do appreciate it, and well, we'll get to the next chapter soon enough, **I swear!**

**R3d-Ga1ns**: Something weird was happening with the reviews for some time, not sure what, but they seem to be working fine now. Anyway, I also hope to see Aiz's origin revealed at some point in canon, at least to Bell as I think that will create an interesting situation. With regards to the Hourglass, how it works will be revealed, at least to some extent, in the future, as of right now, all that's been revealed is that it's an ancient item that was in the possession of the Zeus familia and that only a god would have the power to manage something like pulling Aiz a thousand years into the future. It hasn't been revealed who the god is or why they did it, only that Achilles has a theory surrounding those two questions. With regards to pairings, I won't say much and will leave that up for debate of how things will go, and reiterate my past words; I have a few surprises in store. Your idea of an OC for Haruhime is an interesting one though, so, at the very least, I'll keep that in my back pocket, if not for this story, than perhaps for a story in the future based around that concept as it piques my interest. As for Bell origins, I can say that, in my story, Bell _is not_ the reincarnation of the Argonaut. As stated in chapter three, his soul in brand new. It has never been reincarnated, which can be seen because it remains clear and 'uncolored' by past lives. He is a brand new soul, which, according to the discussion Achilles and Freya had, means he is either the child of spirits or gods. Finally, Bell and Asterios will be seeing each other again, and Achilles will have to be confronted with the reality of the Xenos at some point so expect a Weine X Achilles meeting in the future. Thank you again.

**ElMagoMagico2**: I apologize, my Spanish was never very good, but from what I can tell, you appear to be enjoying the story which, if that's the case, I am very glad for that. With regards to the Xenos, Zeus familia, and Achilles, if I'm understanding you correctly, the Zeus familia did not help the Xenos in the past, given that the Xenos only appeared after they were destroyed. However, what Achilles will do when confronted by the existence of Weine and the others...well...you'll have to wait and see.

**Mairsarmy321**: I'm so sorry I've been slow in updating, I'll do my best to be more on top of things. Hopefully this chapter helps at least a little bit.

**iiiiiiik**: :) I'm happy you're happy with the ship and not mad about the cliffhanger.

**TheZidaneTribal**: Thank you very much and don't worry, it looks like the Riveria X Achilles ship is here to stay...at least until Freya decides it's time to sink it.

**Cosme Csar**: I will happily give you more! Thank you for your kind review.

"**Guest" #2**: Aisha still has a part to play with our main cast and she's far too much fun to write to leave her alone for too long.

Alright, that's all the pandering I can do...darn. So, let's get to the actual story, shall we?

* * *

The two looked at each other for a long time. Achilles, with steady eyes as he calmly smoked his pipe, and Hestia, with wide, alarmed eyes, an erratic heartbeat, and a body that would not stop shaking.

"Y-You're lying."

Achilles stared at her, casually smoking his pipe for a moment.

"I'm not," he replied easily.

"You have to be!" she screamed. "There is no way you could have found out the truth! We destroyed everything!"

Her eyes were on fire as she glared at him, and he knew what she was trying to do. She was trying to cow him into silence. Force him to submit so that the truth could never get out, and, perhaps more importantly, reach Bell. However, Achilles was not cowed.

"You and your fellow gods did do a pretty good job hiding the truth, but the information was out there, hidden in deep, dark places. After what happened with the Dragon, I decided I wanted to understand what exactly I was dealing with, so I went hunting for that information. And I found it. I'm not the Historian for nothing."

"I don't care. I refuse to believe-."

"Gaia."

Hestia froze.

"W-What did you say?"

He stared directly into her horrified eyes.

"Gaia," he repeated.

Now she knew he wasn't lying. In all honesty, she already knew he wasn't, but she had tried to deny it. Tried to push the idea away with desperate pseudo-logic, telling herself over and over that he couldn't know. It was impossible. But now, she could no longer deny the truth. He knew. However Achilles, not satisfied yet, walked over to.

"And in case that wasn't enough," he said, staring down into her now pleading eyes. "Then how about this."

He leant down and whispered something into her ear. The moment he did, the strength evaporated from her body and she fell to her knees.

"Looks like you believe me now," he said.

Things went silent again for a few moments before Hestia, with a voice that would have been impossible to hear for anyone but Achilles, asked the one question that her heart now needed to be answered.

"Are you going to tell Bell?"

Achilles response was instant.

"Yes. One day. When he's ready."

The casual way he said that felt like a punch to the gut for Hestia.

"He'll never trust me again. He'll never trust any of us again," she said, her voice shaking as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Maybe. Maybe not. He cares quite a bit about you though and he's not about to cast aside the friendships he's made with the other gods without serious consideration. But, if you want my opinion," he took a breath from his pipe. "I don't think he's going to abandon you."

Hestia's tear filled eyes widened.

"Y-You...don't?"

Achilles shook his head.

"Nope. And for one simple reason. This 'truth' I've found just proves something he, I, and every other adventurer already knows about you gods. You're fallible. Just. Like. Us."

"I-I'm not sure I understand."

"Then let me explain," he took another breath of smoke. "You gods think of yourselves as higher beings. Immortals that don't really die and have access to tremendous power. You limit that power for the simple sake of entertainment. You think of yourselves, whether or not you say it, as superior. Despite this fact, you are: lustful, quick to anger, mischievous, lazy, drunkards, prideful, wrathful, and prone to jealousy, among other things. In short, you're just as sinful as we mortals. But, most importantly, you are unwise."

"What?" Hestia asked, a tint of anger coming to her eyes.

"You are unwise because of your inherent nature. Your immortality is not a gift, but a curse. A curse which compels you to never learn the lessons of life, for why would you have to? Even if you miss a lesson, you have all eternity to come across it again. And again. And again and again and again. You don't have to learn actual wisdom, because you don't have limited time to learn it. So the most important lesson life has to offer, that being not to waste life, is lost on you, because life is cheap to you. It's why we mortal races, especially us humans, are the wisest of all species despite what some, indeed many, might think. We are the wisest because we are so limited. We don't have the angelic beauty or the semi-immortality of elves. We don't have the helpful characteristics that animal people have, or the toughness of dwarves or strength of Amazons. We don't even have the excellent sight or the collective nature of prums, we are inherently, the most flawed and weak of the races of this world. And yet, humans are probably the single most powerful race. Why? Because that flawed nature of ours forces us to learn. Forces us into confrontations that require our growth. Require us to learn wisdom and take it to heart. And thus we grow. We become stronger. That is why I am happy I was born a human, and why, not only do I recognize the flaw of you gods and pity you for it, but why I would never want to be a god. Not unless I got to keep those lessons in my mind."

Hestia was flabbergasted. Never, in all her eons, had anyone ever told her something like this. That her immortality was a curse. A flaw. That she and her race were inherently flawed and, most shocking of all, that they never would wish to be a god.

"That is why," Achilles continued, intentionally ignoring the look on her face. "I don't think Bell will abandon you. He understands that you are flawed, perhaps not to the degree I recognize, but enough that he won't be willing to abandon the goddess who offered to take him in when no one else would," with that, he turned to leave.

"Will." He stopped. "Will you let me tell him? Like you allowed Aiz Wallen-whatisit to tell him her secret?" Hestia asked.

He looked down at her.

"If it's in my presence so that I can be sure that he's getting the whole truth and nothing is being manipulated, that's fine." Light came to Hestia's eyes. "But not yet. He's not ready and he has far too much on his mind right now."

Hestia, smiling, stood up.

"Agreed."

Achilles nodded then turned to leave.

"Achilles."

He stopped again and turned.

"Do you hate us?"

He looked at her for a moment, staring directly into her eyes as if searching for something, before answering.

"I think what you all did to some extent was right, and to some extent was wrong. As with most things in life, it's gray. However, I've spent fifteen years trying, and admittedly mostly failing, at not letting my life being ruled by the past. As such, given the eons that have passed and that I am a firm believer in judging people based on what they do, especially what they do now, I can say that I don't hate you. But," he quickly added. "That's not the same as trusting you."

She nodded.

"I understand."

"Alright. Well, now that we've come to an understanding I think it's time we both hit the hay."

"That sounds wise," she said with a small smile.

Achilles smiled back.

"Just make sure you act normally tomorrow. I don't want to be the one that has to try and explain any awkward behavior to the others."

"Eh-heh, will do."

"Goodnight, Hestia."

"Goodnight, Achilles."

Now alone, Hestia looked up at the sky, her heart heavy, but a tinge of hope flowing through her.

"Please don't hate me, Bell."

* * *

Aiz returned to Twilight Manor, content with how things had gone with Achilles and Bell, but knowing she had to speak with Loki and the others.

Making her way through her home, she came across the main group of her familia; the group of adventurers that many outside of Loki familia had labelled as 'monsters' making their way to the dining hall.

"Ah, Aiz, there you are," Finn said, noticing her. "Sheesh, Achilles did a number on you, didn't he?" he stated, taken note of her battered state.

"What?!" cried the familiar voice of her goddess, who suddenly appeared before her and began to look over her. "Grrr, the Olympian will pay for hurting my Aiz-tan," she swore.

"Loki." The goddess stopped and looked at Aiz. "Finn. Riveria. Gareth. May I speak with you?"

The serious, yet gentle tone, piqued their interest and each shared a look before turning back to her.

"Did something happen with Achilles or Bell?" Riveria asked.

"Yes. Both actually," Aiz replied simply.

"Man, will a day go by where something doesn't happen involving those two?" Loki sighed. "And we were just about to eat dinner, too."

"It can wait if you'd like," Aiz offered.

"No, no, something tells me I'm going to want to drink after this, so it's best if we wait for dinner until after. Alright, come on," Loki said, turning around and heading for her office.

The others watched them turn away with concerned eyes. Given that this was yet another moment they were cut out of whatever was happening, Tiona called out.

"Aiz!" The Sword Princess turned. "Are you going to tell us what happened this time?" the Amazon pleaded.

To all their surprise, she smiled.

"Yes. I will," she said resolutely.

The confident answer mixed with the smile filled Tiona with a warm feeling and she knew her friend was telling the truth which, in turn, caused her to smile.

"Well then, we'll go get some food while we wait for ya," she replied happily.

"Sounds good. I'll talk to you soon," Aiz returned.

With that, the five leading figures of Loki familia turned away leaving the others to the feast that was prepared for their familia.

The five made their way into Loki's office with the goddess plopping herself onto her desk.

"Alright, so what's this about? What did the idiot Achilles and the white rabbit do now?"

"Achilles figured out who I am."

Everyone froze.

"What do you mean, he figured out who you are?" Loki asked, hoping it wasn't what she thought.

"He knows I'm Aiz Waldstein," the Sword Princess confirmed.

Shock covered every inch of their faces, and Loki's eyes not only opened, but looked ready to pop out of her skull.

"What?!"

Aiz, after getting over the ringing in her ears, continued.

"He was able to figure out who I was."

"How?" Finn asked, clearly as shocked as his fellow familia members, minus Loki who took the cake.

"Last night, after we have finished training, he asked me several questions focused around the One-Eyed Black Dragon. The first, was why I wanted to kill it. I informed him that it was because it had killed my father and kidnapped my mother. From that, he was able to figure out who I was. He then confronted me today during our training."

"And you didn't deny it?!" Loki cried.

"It seemed pointless. You all may have known him longer, but I can tell when he's serious and I knew he wasn't going to let this go. He had figured out the truth and he wasn't going to let me lie. In fact, now that I think about it, I think that's why he pushed me so much harder during today's training session. To make sure I couldn't simply run away."

Riveria sighed and rubbed her temple.

"In all honesty," she began. "We shouldn't be too surprised. This is 'The Historian' after all. He's probably read the tale of the Sword Hero more than everyone in this familia combined."

"That does seem like him," Gareth agreed. "Did he say what he was going to do with this information?" the dwarven leader asked.

"Nothing. He said he was simply curious. When I inquired if he was going to reveal it to the public his response was to ask what the point would be to that. Even if people believed him, he said, there was really no point to it."

Relief washed over those around the Sword Princess, none more so than Loki.

"So no one else knows?" the goddess asked.

"Bell knows."

All Loki's relief instantly vanished.

"What?!"

The three leaders of Loki familia all sighed at that. Nonetheless, Aiz continued.

"Achilles told me of his intent to tell Bell, saying he wouldn't keep secrets from him, especially about me."

"_I wonder why,"_ Riveria thought, unable to help the small smile that grew on her lips.

"He also informed me that this would, in turn, be shared with the rest of Hestia familia."

Loki groaned.

"Oh great, now Chibi's going to be holding this over my head."

"Hestia does not seem like the kind of person to use something like this against you, even if there is some way of doing so," Riveria defended.

"Eh, probably not. I just don't like the idea of her knowing it," Loki grumbled. "So, we can be pretty sure that, by now, the good ol' Olympian has informed the rabbit?"

"No," Aiz said firmly, catching their attention. "I told Bell."

That raised a few eyebrows.

"You told him?" Loki asked.

"I asked Achilles if I could be the one to tell him. If he was going to learn it anyway, I felt I should I tell him. It...felt like the right thing to do."

Riveria's smile grew again.

"_They're getting closer and I have yet to even get involved,"_ she thought contently.

Loki, however, was not so pleased.

"Aiz…" she began, getting up. "What exactly is your relationship with the rabbit?"

"I've told you. He's a friend."

"You've got loads of friends, and you ain't shared your past with any of them," Loki pushed.

"I was actually going to ask that I be allowed to do that right now," Aiz stated.

Once more, those around her were surprised.

"Are you sure, Aiz?" Finn asked.

She nodded.

"Yes. It seems wrong to hide the truth from them."

Now all of the big three were smiling as they found themselves in agreement with her. The others had proven themselves time and again, and though they weren't always the most discreet people, they weren't going to blabber one of their friends' big secrets.

"Hm. Perhaps you're right," Loki responded. "But I still think something's funny about you and this...Bell Cranel. Ever since he came into the picture you've been more emotional, not that I'm complaining. But that seems real interesting to me," she continued, eyeing Aiz. "Not only that, but ya've been spending more time with him lately, haven't you? And don't think I forgot what happened at the party. The way that you jumped in to try and intercept him before the King got in your way. Something's up, and I want an answer as to what it is."

Aiz didn't have an answer. To her, this all wasn't something she had thought about. It was just how things were. A progression that came naturally. However, now that she was confronted about it, she began to think.

She thought on all that had happened since Bell had arrived in her life. Training him might have been construed as odd, but wasn't unheard of and she had trained others, and Tiona had helped as well during the War Games. But some things did stand out. Her dancing him with, twice, the only two times she had danced, in spite of Loki's furious insistence, for one. She remembered how much she enjoyed dancing with him, the second even more than the first as something, she didn't know what, seemed to have been amplified since their last dance.

She continued to think and the more she thought, especially about recent events, the more that fluttering, floating feeling in her stomach grew, and the more her heart pounded in her ears.

She remembered the night she confronted him about his growth, the pain in his eyes, and the smile he gave her when she left. She remembered the next day, when they had found each other, talked, and the question he had asked her, and her response. How it had suddenly burst forth from her without her knowing where it came from, yet not regretting it for even a moment. Then she remembered the party. Seeing Bell dancing with Freya. Seeing Achilles fall, and then seeing Bell walk towards Freya, the thought of his surrendering screaming through her mind.

The memory caused a sinking feeling in her stomach, just as it had before, but that was instantly washed away when she remembered the smile he gave her, so much like the one he had given her after she confronted him. So bright. So warm. So...something. Something she couldn't describe, yet was somehow familiar.

Then, when he pulled Achilles back from Freya, she remembered the relief she had felt. The warmth that had spread through her as the cold fear burned away. She remembered it all within the few moments after Loki's questioning and by the end, the fluttering in her stomach was so overwhelming she feared she would float away, but only if her heart didn't hammer out of her chest first.

The four all watched Aiz, waiting for her answer. However, with each moment that passed, the more they realized as they watched Aiz face grow redder and redder, her body fidget more and more, and the lost, but excited look in her eyes become more and more out of control, that they already had their answer.

"_She's truly breaking out,"_ Riveria thought happily.

Finally, Aiz, fidgeting so much one would think she was suffering from hypothermia, turned her eyes back to Loki, whose own were now wide in shock and horror at what she now knew, and answered.

"I-I don't know why I did that. It's just...it all felt so wrong. I had this...feeling in my stomach. Like there was weight in it. It had been their since he'd danced with Freya, but it got worse, much worse, when he started walking towards her after Achilles was Charmed. I thought...I thought he was surrendering to her, "she paused, as if the words were causing her physical pain. "I had to do something. Anything."

Riveria, feeling that enough had been said and not wanting this conversation to get anymore uncomfortable, cut in.

"Alright, Aiz. We understand."

"You do?" the young woman asked, clearly not seeing how that was possible given that she herself did not understand what was happening with her or what she was feeling.

Riveria simply continued to smile.

"We do," she reassured her. "Now, you said you wanted to tell the others the truth?"

Distracted by the question, Aiz did not press her on what it was they all understood that she herself did not.

"I did."

"Well, I think I speak for everyone when I say that we agree to that idea," she quickly checked over her shoulder and both Finn and Gareth smiled and nodded. Loki was a bit too distracted at the revelation of what was happening with Aiz to answer, which is why Riveria decided to ignore her. "So why don't you go and get the others and then you can tell them all with us as support."

Aiz smiled.

"I'll go get them. Thank you," she said before quickly disappearing.

The moment she left, Loki, heartbroken, spoke.

"I can't believe it. Aiz-tan...Aiz-tan is…" tears welled up in her eyes.

"Oh stop it you," Riveria chided her goddess. "This is a good thing."

"A good thing?! She's falling for that rabbit!" the trickster goddess proclaimed.

"And we all need to be there to support her," Riveria stated, her voice broaching no room for argument.

"Honestly thought I'd never see the day where she opened up her heart," Gareth said, beaming like a proud father.

"She never did show any sign of walking down that path, but can't say I'm particularly upset by it, even if it came from such a surprising place," Finn said.

"Bell Cranel is truly showing himself to be the most surprising young man," Riveria readily agreed, her happiness at seeing her young ward becoming the woman she'd always hoped she'd be filling her to bursting point.

Aiz returned shortly after, all the main figures of Loki familia in tow.

"What's this about?" Bete asked, staring at Aiz with suspicion due to her weird behavior.

"Aiz-tan has something she wants to tell you," Loki said, still trying to get over her heartbreak while silently trying to concoct a plan to get rid of a certain white-haired rabbit.

"What is it, Aiz-san?" Lefiya asked, curious, but a bit worried.

"There's something about me you all don't know. About who I am and where I come from."

The new arrivals all gained looks of confusion, passing looks back and forth in hopes that one of the others would have some clue as to what she was talking about.

"What the shit does that mean? Don't pull our tails here, just spill it," Bete demanded.

Aiz nodded.

"My name isn't Aiz Wallenstein. It's Aiz Waldstein and I am the daughter of Albert Waldstein, the Sword Hero, and Aria Waldstein, the Wind Spirit."

The room fell silent, until Bete, confused and frustrated barked out again.

"Is this some kind of weird joke?"

Aiz shook her head.

"It's not. I'm telling you the truth."

"She is," Finn said firmly, making sure that they all understood that this wasn't a game.

"But...they lived over a thousand years ago. How could you be here if that was true, Aiz?" Tiona asked.

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "My last memory before I came to this time was right after my father had been killed by the One-Eyed Black Dragon and my mother had been kidnapped. I was suddenly surrounded by some kind of magic and transported here, to your time. But, Achilles may knows something."

"Achilles?" Bete asked, not likely that his name was suddenly dropped. "What's he got to do with this?"

"He figured out who I was and confronted me today. I knew he wouldn't let me leave until I had answered honestly, so I did. Achilles then told me he would tell Bell, to which I requested that I be allowed to tell him personally, which I was allowed to do."

"Wait, wait. The Rabbit got to know before we did?!" Bete roared.

"Easy Bete," Finn warned. "The situation was out of her control and given the predicament she was in, I think we can all recognize why she did what she did."

Bete growled.

"But Captain," Tione cut in, not wanting to fight with him, but also clearly upset. "Why weren't we told before now? Didn't we deserve to know the truth? Did you not trust us?"

"That's not it."

They all turned back to Aiz, whose head had fallen and whose eyes now shown with guilt and sadness.

"I trust you all, and I wanted to tell you all sooner, but we weren't sure how the information would be taken."

"Did you think we would tell everyone?" Tiona asked.

"It doesn't have to be that you intentionally spread it," Riveria jumped in, knowing that Aiz was undoubtedly feeling pressured. "It was concern over the simple fact that the more people who know about this the more likely it is to spread further one way or another. And, even now, we have no idea how the public would react if they found out Aiz's past. Whether they would be indifferent. Curious. Or even willing to fight to try and claim her."

Things fell silent again as they thought on her words. They understood her well enough. They would never have intentionally spread the information, but things happened in life. Mistakes and slips of the tongue, or even capture by enemies seeking information. No one could be sure that they would never reveal it no matter what. Still, they were hurt by the lack of trust, even if they logically understood the reason.

"Alright. We get it. But it still...sucks that we weren't told until now," Tione said.

"That's fair," Finn replied, knowing that she didn't want to fight with him, which was also true for him in the reverse.

"What was Achilles's reaction?" Tiona asked.

"He didn't care," Aiz answered. "He was simply curious and had no intention of spreading the information."

"So he says," Bete growled.

Riveria wanted to defend the man, but decided against it. For now, it was best to let them vent.

"And Bell-san?" Lefiya asked. "What was his reaction?"

A soft smile with an unmistakable meaning grew on Aiz's lips.

"He hugged me and gave me his full support. He won't tell anyone, I'm sure of it."

Any joy that Riveria might have taken from that was instantly ruined by Loki grumpily cutting in.

"Except his own familia of course."

Riveria sighed.

"What does she mean?" Tione asked.

"Achilles informed me that he and Bell would be inclined to inform the rest of Hestia familia as they don't keep secrets from each other. I want the same for us, which is why I asked to be able to tell you all the truth today."

"Great, so now the Rabbit's little friends know too. Anyone else?" Bete asked.

"No, that would be everyone. At least as far as we know," Finn said.

"As far as we know," Bete repeated back with unrestrained hostility. "Meanwhile Achilles could have told half the city by now."

"He's not like that," Riveria stated, a bit more bite to her words than normal, which, while missed by most in the room, was not missed by Loki, Finn, or Gareth.

"Yeah, the guy who threatened to kill us all isn't the kind of guy to cause us trouble. Right," Bete countered with a roll of his eyes.

Riveria's brow scrunched in frustration. She knew Bete was right. Achilles had been an unquestionably hostile element in their lives, and she couldn't deny that. Yet, not only was that not the full truth of the matter, but now that her feelings were no longer suppressed, she felt that she needed to defend him, at least to some extent.

"Achilles is a flawed man. That's true. But he was, at one point, our friend," she signalled to Finn and Gareth. "Quite a close friend, in fact, but our relationship became complicated for the reasons you all already know. Even so, I would ask that you give him the proper respect he deserves as the former captain of the Zeus familia, a level seven, the only person to have survived fighting the One-Eyed Black Dragon, and as a man. Else you may risk committing the same mistakes I have committed in the past."

The impassioned speech left everyone dumbstruck, not only because of the request itself, but also who it was from. This, in turn, once Riveria had calmed down, left her, once again, in a state of embarrassment as she realized she may have revealed more than intended.

"Wow, Riveria. I didn't know you had that in you," Tiona said, surprised, but happily so.

"Yeah, that was quite something," Tione agreed, though not quite so happy as her sister.

"A respectable position and one I think we would do well to listen to," Gareth said.

"Indeed," Finn replied, his eyes boring into Riveria.

Aiz said nothing, but, catching Riveria's eye, she smiled, calming the high elf a bit, even if concern over her secret was still very much present.

With so many people voicing their support for her and what she said, Bete found himself unable to push back against her words and growled.

"Alright. Geez. No need to pull my tail. I'll give him the respect he's earned," he bit out.

Riveria sighed in relief.

"Thank you, Bete," she said.

"Yeah, yeah. Sheesh. What's with everyone and defending those two guys anyway?"

A sense of calm fell over the room as everyone fell back onto the same page, now even closer than before as Aiz's secret was no longer a barrier between them. However, whatever peace they may have shared was ended by the sudden interjection of a loudly grumbling stomach.

Everyone turned and found Loki grabbing her waist.

"I'm hungry," she complained.

More than a few eyes rolled.

"Well, we did skip dinner in order to have this talk, so I suppose that makes sense," Riveria said.

"Then why are we still hanging around here? Aiz said what she wanted to, now let's go eat. I need food and wine!" Loki declared.

Riveria smiled as a few noises of happy agreement erupted, namely from Tiona, and they all began to file out of the office.

Gareth was about to follow after them, when he noticed that Finn wasn't moving from his spot, opting instead to follow Riveria with only his eyes.

"Something wrong?" he asked the prum captain.

"No," Finn answered, his eyes still on Riveria. "I just think I might have learned something today that may be even more surprising than Aiz opening her heart."

* * *

Done. I am so sorry that took so long to get out, as stated at the beginning, things have been a bit hectic as of late, but enough of that. I do hope you enjoyed the chapter, I know it was a bit short, especially without all the fan appreciation at the beginning, but I promise we'll be getting back to the meat of the story next time, and that I'll be doing my absolute best with it. No half-assing! Anyway, that all said, please tell me what you guys think. If you had problems with the chapter, any or all of it, feel free to tell me, I do wish to improve, and suggestions are happily accepted. With that, I bid you all a fine farewell and I will see you all next time. Bye for now.


	16. Chapter 16

Hello good people. We'reI'm back, and with a proper chapter this time. Thank you all very much for the kind words of support as well as the valid criticisms, both are greatly appreciated as it warms my heart my heart, inspires me, and gives me points of which to consider and improve upon, so thank you. Now, why don't we get back to our story, shall we?

I do not own Danmachi

* * *

Achilles checked over himself one last time before, satisfied that he had everything he needed, he turned to the others.

"Everyone ready to go?"

"I'm all ready," Bell said.

"Me too," Welf seconded.

They all added their own voices, ending with Lili who, after a thorough check of her inventory, finally was ready to go.

"Alright, let's head out," Achilles declared.

"Take care everyone!" Hestia called out, beaming at her familia.

"We will. See you soon Hestia-sama," Bell replied, giving her his own smile.

They all turned to leave, which allowed Achilles and Hestia to share one final look before the ex-captain departed with his young compatriots

The familia made their way through Orario as they normally did except for one detail that they all quickly noticed. They were being watched.

"Why's everyone staring?" Bell asked.

"Can't you guess?" Achilles inquired.

Bell looked at him and shook his head.

"Bell, you stood up to the most powerful goddess in Orario and threatened her, and did so, effectively, in front of all of Orario. Did you think that people's eyes wouldn't turn to you?"

"I...I didn't really think about it. When it happened, I was just so angry that I wasn't thinking straight and the words just came pouring out of my mouth."

It was plain to see that Bell regretted what he'd said, an understandable position given that it was said in anger and not the wisest of actions. However, given the circumstances, and that this was Bell, the response of his family was not even in question.

"We don't blame you, Bell," Welf said.

"Lili thinks what you did was both justified and brave," the prum lady said.

"You were pushed too far. I can understand that better than most," Ryuu stated.

"You did what you thought was right, as you always have, and I will proudly stand beside you through any challenges," Mikoto added firmly.

Lastly, Haruhime moved next to him and took his hand.

"You are a hero, Bell-sama. Nothing will change that in my eyes and no matter what comes next, I will follow you," she said, staring directly into his eyes.

"Haruhime," Bell replied, his eyes a bit wider at her proclamation and the emotion burning in her eyes. Now, Bell wasn't an idiot, but he could be a thick-headed when it came to the opposite sex, namely when a lady had feelings for him. This was mostly due to his own tunnel vision towards Aiz and his drive to be worthy of her. However, with what happened with Hestia during the invasion, Freya and her attempts to capture his heart, his numerous discussions with both Aisha and Achilles, and the general life experience he had gathered these last few months, his eyes had begun to open towards how others felt about him. This, in turn, made him able to recognize what was happening with Haruhime at the moment, with a gaze so fierce that it pierced any thickheadness he may have had so that, even had he not known what she felt before, he could no longer claim such. As such, he did not take long for a small blush to come to his cheeks.

"_Oh."_

Achilles smiled.

"_The seed is planted. Now, just to ensure it grows."_

Snatching up the boy and pulling him towards him, he began to affectionately stroke his hair.

"And I'm certainly in no position to complain. You saved me from an eternity of mental enslavement, a debt of which I will never be able to repay, but which I will spend my life trying to."

"Dad," the young man looked up. The raw power of his words was a tad overwhelming, but it touched his heart profoundly. Indeed, there was only a handful of moments in his life that could compare or beat in terms of how it warmed his heart. Hestia accepting him into her familia, Aiz confessing she would consider herself lucky to have him, and finally when the man before him became his father.

"You...you don't have to repay anything. I'm just glad to have you in my life. I'm glad to have all of you."

"We feel the same way," Achilles said, getting resounding agreement from the others. "Now, as happy as this all makes me, I think we've given our onlookers a bit too much of a show and should probably proceed."

Everyone quickly checked around them and found that, indeed, all eyes were still on them, some of them even appearing misty as a few in the crowd had taken the lovely scene to heart and were now cooing appreciatively at the display of warmth. A series of blushes appeared and they quickly agreed to keep moving on.

Now once again on the move, Lili spoke up.

"Do you think we're being watched by Freya familia?"

"Oh undoubtedly. I can feel the presence of adventurers and the tingle up my spine is telling me that the eyes are hostile. Likely they didn't appreciate a certain collection of words our dear white rabbit had to say to their goddess," he explained, making sure to give Bell a smile so that he didn't start blaming himself again. "But it's all small fry. No one above a level three. As such I can say they haven't been sent by Freya. If they had, she would have sent better."

This didn't necessarily make them feel better as concern over what the goddess was doing entered their minds, but they all decided to put those thoughts aside for the moment and focus instead on the matter at hand.

The arrived at the entrance to the Dungeon when, to their surprise, they found Nahza, Daphne, and Cassandra came walking out and heading right towards them.

"Good morning," Bell greeted.

"Morning, Bell-san," Nazha replied.

"What are you doing here so early?" the young captain asked.

"We just wanted to get some adventuring in before we opened the store. There's not much time for us to explore the Dungeon as a team and improve our coordination, so we decided to take some time today."

"I want to go back to sleep," Cassandra whined, and it was clear to all that the idea of early morning training had not been hers.

"Stop complaining. We got a good haul today and may even be able to afford a nice dinner tonight," Daphne stated.

Cassandra continued to pout, but the prospect of a nice dinner did ease her mind a bit.

"Well, I'm glad to see you adventuring again, Nahza-san," Bell said happily.

"Still a bit rusty, but it's coming back to me. The training we did certainly helped some," she replied, looking at Achilles.

"Glad to be of service."

"I'm still sore from that day!" Daphne declared.

"Good. If you weren't I'd say I wasn't doing a proper job."

Daphne pouted while the others smiled.

"We'd best be on our way. We need to open the store soon. Make sure you guys come by later and stock up on potions," Nazha said.

"We'll do that," Bell replied.

The two familias split up, the Hestia heading for the Dungeon, the Miach for home. Neither of them realized that the collection of malevolent eyes had now switched targets.

* * *

The Hestia familia made their way down the first few floors rapidly, as their combined fifteen levels were more than enough to deal with the monsters, even without Achilles's help.

"So far so good," the ex-captain stated. "Just make sure not to push yourself too much. I want to see how far we can get today so make sure to conserve your energy."

"Right!" they all readily agreed.

They continued down, making it to the middle floors, but pushing through them just as easily, with Achilles jumping in a few times, more to warm up than out of concern. Finally, they reached floor seventeen.

"If I'm not mistaken, the Goliath is suppose to resurrect today," Lili said.

"Nothing we can't handle," Achilles said.

"Actually, Achilles-san." He turned to Ryuu. "I would like to ask that you allow me to fight the Goliath on my own."

Interest and worry passed along among them before Achilles asked the natural next question.

"And why's that?"

"I'm ready for a level up. My stats are all level A, except for my speed, which I managed to get to S class. As such, I would like to ask permission to go on this adventure."

"I see. Hm," he thought for a moment. "That's not really my call is it? Bell's your captain. Ask him."

They all turned to Bell. He looked concerned when he met Ryuu's eyes, but seeing her conviction, he eased a bit and a small smile appeared.

"Permission granted. But if things get too rough, we're jumping in," he stated firmly.

She smiled.

"Agreed."

The familia made their way onto the floor and found the residents of the eighteenth floor gathered there in preparation for the resurrection of Goliath.

"Well, if it isn't the Rabbit Foot. Perfect timing. The Goliath's about to resurrect and we could use the help" Bors said, noticing their arrival.

"Hello, Bors. I actually have a small favor to ask in regards to the Goliath," Bell stated.

"Huh? What kind of favor? Whatever it is, you'd best know, my favors don't come cheap," he explained.

"Then it's a good thing that this is also a favor to you," Achilles cut in, a tad annoyed at the idea of someone trying to gip his son.

"And you are?" Bors asked. He began to look Achilles over. "You look kind of familiar."

"There's a good reason for that," Achilles replied.

"Let me introduce you," Bell cut in, seeing his father's annoyance. "Bors, this is Achilles Caesar, he's the former captain of the Zeus familia."

Bors eye widened.

"And Bell's father," Achilles decided to add just to make Bors that much more nervous.

"W-What's the favor?" the now alarmed Bors asked.

Ryuu stepped forward.

"I'd like to ask that you allow me to deal with the Goliath."

"What? You mean by yourself?" he asked.

She nodded.

"That's correct. I'm close to leveling up and thus need to go on an adventure."

"Well, it's no skin off my teeth, but this is a floor boss we're talking about. I know you're a tough one, but you sure you handle it?"

"I'm confident," she said.

"And we'll jump in if need be," Bell added.

"Then have at it. Not like I or the others wanted to risk our lives or nothing, it's just all part of living down here," he said.

"Great. Then we'll take it from here," Bell said.

"I'll go tell the others. Maybe we can start selling tickets."

Bors went off to inform the other residents, leaving the Hestia familia to prepare.

"Are you sure you don't want us to help you Ryuu? I'm know how strong you are, but this isn't your usual monster," Bell inquired.

"I appreciate your concern, Bell-san," she replied with a smile. "But this is something I need to do, not just to level up, but to pay back all you've done for me and so that I can truly feel apart of Hestia familia."

"You are apart of our familia," Bell said, taking her hand.

The honest, pure way he said that, all while looking directly into her eyes, hit Ryuu's unprepared heart harder than any minotaur. Her cheeks soon flushed, which was not missed by the others, which caused a mix of reactions, from Welf's amusement at his younger brother's ability to capture hearts to Lili's blinding rage. The only one who wasn't aware of her reaction was Bell due to his sole focus on her eyes.

"Ryuu?" he tilted his head.

"I-I can't tell you how much I appreciate that, Bell-san," she said, her head falling to hide her blush. "But I won't feel right unless I go through with this. I owe you a great deal, and I owe an even greater debt to Caesar-san, both for my attacks against his person and for what he did for me in spite of that."

"You don't owe me anything." The two turned to see Achilles looming over them. "I did it for Bell, whom I assume will say much the same," seeing Bell smile and nod, he continued. "We support your decision, Ryuu-san, but don't think you need to do it to pay us back. This is your family now. It will be here for you no matter your decision."

A mass of smiles and nods showed the mutual agreement with that statement.

"Caesar-san. Bell-san. Everyone," a smile soon appeared on her lips. "I understand."

"Good. Now," Achilles turned his eyes. "I think you'd best get ready. Our big friend's waking up."

They all turned and found that the shadow of the Goliath had appeared in the crystal wall.

"Everyone, take your positions," Bell ordered.

Everyone did as ordered and Ryuu took her place at the front with Achilles and Bell behind, ready to jump in if necessary.

"We'll be right behind you," Bell said.

"Which means you are forbidden to die," Achilles added.

Ryuu smiled.

"Noted."

A moment later, the sound of shattering crystal rumbled through the floor as the Goliath returned.

"Ooowraaaar!"

"Now in the sky, above the distant forest; o infinite stars, scattered across the cloudless night sky; grant my foolish voice the blessing of starfire; and grant your compassion to those who abandon you. Come forth, wandering wind; nomadic traveler crossing the sky and wilderness. Bear within thee the light of stardust, and destroy my enemy! Luminous Wind!" Ryuu cried out.

A barrage of green magic suddenly began to pound on the ill-prepared floor boss sending it crashing back against the wall it had only just been born from.

"A heavy opening barrage, huh?" Achilles noted. "Interesting beginning. Might backfire if this fight drags on."

The Goliath now stunned, Ryuu jumped into action. She aimed for its legs first, cutting both its ankles then hitting its knees. The attacks had the intended effect as the boss fell to its hands and knees and cried out in pain.

Determination burning in her eyes, Ryuu launched at the Goliath's eyes and used her knives to stab them out.

The floor boss screamed out in pain. It began to flail about wildly, trying desperate to punish the one who had caused its turmoil. Ryuu however, was in no danger as she was far out of its reach.

Moving wide around the monster, she got behind it, then leapt into the air, onto the back of its neck and began to slice away at its spine in an attempt to sever it. The Goliath cried out its agony and tried to batter her off, only for her to smack away its hands and continue her assault.

The spinal cord of the monster was clear before the young elf's eyes and beginning to crack under her assault when the Goliath decided it had had enough and pushed itself off its knees with all its strength.

The move surprised Ryuu who found herself flying off the boss's back. Luckily, she was pushed towards the Dungeon wall and was able to use it to push herself back towards the monster with the intent continual her attack. However, the Goliath recognized, instinctually or otherwise, that this was her plan and swung around to backhand her.

Ryuu's eyes widened as the hand came towards her. It was too close for her to dodge, no matter her speed and she brought her arms up to block the attack as best she could. However, she suddenly felt a tug on her body, and a moment later she found herself being pulled away by an unknown force. A second later a sword appeared out of nowhere and slammed into the Goliath's hand, piercing it and sticking it to the wall.

Ryuu flew across the floor until she was caught by Achilles.

"Careful," he said, putting her down.

"How...How did you do that?" she asked.

"Magnetism," he answered. Seeing her confused eyes, he held up his hand and electrified it. She suddenly felt a tug on her belt and looked down to see her knives being pulled towards him. "A benefit of my electrically based powers. I can magnetize most metals and move them as I see fit. Seeing the pickle you put yourself in, I decided to step in," he said, signally towards the now stuck Goliath.

Looking back towards the floor boss, which was now trying desperately, and failing, to free itself from the wall, she realized that she had been saved from a potentially nasty injury by the former captain.

"Thank you," she said.

"Of course," he replied. "Will you let us help you now?"

"I…," she paused. "This is still my fight."

"That doesn't mean you have to fight it alone," Bell jumped in.

She turned to him and the two silently looked into each others' eyes for a moment.

"Alright," she conceded with a small smile. "But please allow me to be the one to finish it," she requested.

"What do you need us to do?" Bell asked with his own smile.

"Distract the Goliath so that I can get behind it again. You don't need to heavily engage it, just enough that it will focus on you," they all nodded. "And, if I may bother you as, Haruhime-san, if you'd be so kind as to use your magic, I'd greatly appreciate it."

"Of course," the renard said with a smile.

"Thank you. With the added strength and speed, I should be able to finish this."

"Good," Achilles stated. "Then hop to it. I stuck him in the wall pretty well, but it's only a matter of time before he gets out, if only by tearing off part of the Dungeon wall."

They all nodded and turned to face the Goliath.

"The moment Haruhime is done with her chant, I'm pulling back my sword," Achilles stated.

"It would be easier if you left it, Achilles-sama," Lili said.

"We're not here for easy, my dear. We here for an adventure."

A small, unseen smile grew on Ryuu's lips as she silently agreed.

"Alright," Achilles said as Haruhime neared the end of her chant. "Get ready."

"Uchide no Kuzuchi!"

A tower of gold fell upon Ryuu, leveling her up and filling her with strength.

"Go!" she cried.

Bell, Welf, and Mikoto all charged directly towards the Goliath while Ryuu shot off towards their right. Once they were in motion, Achilles summoned back his sword, freeing the Goliath.

"Ooowraaaar!"

The monster turned to them, finding the three charging towards it, with Bell in the lead.

Eager to take up their challenge after its frustrating ordeal, it launched at Bell.

"Firebolt!" he cried, hitting it directly in the face.

"Ooowraaaar!" it cried again as its advance was suddenly stopped by the attack just long enough for Bell to jump up and stab out one of its regenerated eyes.

As the floor boss cried out in pain, Welf and Mikoto reached its legs and began hacking away. The Goliath began to try and stomp them, wildly moving about as it attempted to kill the members of Hestia familia.

A short ways away, Ryuu was circling around to get behind it. All the movement it was enacting attempting to quash Welf and Mikoto served that purpose as it suddenly presented its back to her. Seeing her chance, she threw one of her knives at the back of its head, logging it deep in its skull.

Having suffered another attack, this time of a more serious nature, the Goliath turned again and, seeing Ryuu, roared and charged at her.

"No you don't!" Bell cried.

Jumping again, Bell stabbed the creature in the top of its back, then proceeded to drag himself all the way down its spine.

The cry of agony the Goliath unleashed almost had Achilles feeling pity for it. Almost.

The attack had had the intended effect and the Goliath had been stopped in its charge towards Ryuu.

"Bell-san!" Ryuu cried. "Get it so that it's back is facing the wall!"

"Got it!" he returned.

Running and joining up with Welf and Mikoto, Bell opened his hand towards the monster and unleashed another Firebolt at its face.

Furious beyond measure, the Goliath was all too happy to turn and face its assailants, eyes screaming bloody murder.

"I think you made him angry Bell," Welf said with a smile.

With the opening made by Bell and the others, Ryuu put her plan in motion. She jumped in the air towards the wall, making sure she was the exact height she needed to be to match the knife that was now lodged in the Goliath's skull. The moment her feet touched the Dungeon wall, she turned and, with all the strength her now level five status could muster, she kicked off the wall, aiming directly for the knife.

"Don't you dare move," she growled.

Luck was on her side as the knife remained just where she needed it to be when she came crashing into the back of the Goliath's skull, kicking the knife with all her might, causing it to pierce the rest of the monster's cranium, shoot through its brain, explode out the other side of its head, and fly through the air, only to have Achilles pull it towards him, a smile on his face.

The Goliath's expression fell the moment the knife went through its head. All signs of anger, pain, or even recognition disappeared as its eyes rolled up into its head, it fell to its knees, and, as the Hestia familia scrambled away, fell on its face before evaporating into a cloud of ash.

Ryuu landed gracefully, though her breath was noticeably heavier. Even so, there was a clear smile of satisfaction as she watched the ash fall to the ground.

"You did it!" Bell cried out as he ran up to her.

"We did it," she clarified.

"That you did," Achilles said, walking up to them alongside the rest of the Hestia familia. "Well done."

"That was amazing, Ryuu-sama!" Haruhime said happily.

"You can say that again," Welf added.

"I wouldn't have been able to pull it off without all of you," Ryuu said, her head falling and a tinge of red coming to her ears.

"That doesn't negate the accomplishment. Familias are supposed to come together like this. To push themselves higher and higher and share in the success," Achilles stated.

"I suppose you're right," Ryuu said, her embarrassment easing away.

"Lili agrees. However, Lili does wonder what we're going to do with the magic stone."

Everyone turned and realized what she meant.

The magic stone was easily bigger than any of them and while it wouldn't be a big deal to bring it back to the surface, that would mean they wouldn't be able to continue any further that day.

"We can help with that."

Everyone turned to see Bors and the other Dungeon residents approaching them.

"Oh? And how do you plan to do that?" Achilles asked skeptically.

"You guys are going deeper into the Dungeon, right? Well, we'll hold onto it for you until you get back," Bors offered. Seeing Achilles's wary eyes, he quickly added. "It's the least we can do for dealing with the Goliath for us. We could have handled it, sure, but not without getting scuffed up a bit, so you saved us some trouble. Just want to repay the favor."

Achilles continued to eye him until Bell pulled on his arm, grabbing his attention. He turned and Bell nodded.

"We can trust Bors," he said.

Achilles's eyes turned back to the Dungeon resident, staring at him for just a moment longer, before relenting.

"Excellent," Bors said, signally for the others to grab the stone and begin dragging it down to level eighteen.

"Come on," Bell said with a smile. "We've got a Dungeon to explore."

The Hestia familia, plus one, happily followed after him and entered the eighteenth floor.

* * *

"Ugh, today's been so boring," Tiona groaned, leaning on her weapons.

"Stop complaining. We're following the captain's orders," her sister said.

"You know that excuse only works for you, right?" Tiona pointed out, earning a glare from the other Amazon. "And I thought Hermes familia was in charge of exploring this place. Why do they need us?"

"It's not safe. A group of Hermes familia were ambushed only yesterday by monsters and were heavily injured," Riveria stated, cutting in. "They asked us to stand guard while they investigated the labyrinth."

"But there hasn't been anything to guard against, not even a gate to knock down," Tiona continued to whine.

"Then perhaps you wouldn't mind running back to camp and bringing us back some food and water," Riveria suggested.

"Sure. Better than standing around here," Tiona said, picking up her weapon and running off back to camp.

"Finally, some quiet," Tione said with relief.

Tiona ran through the forests, happily humming to herself, relieved to finally be doing something other than standing around and doing boring guard duty.

Making it back to camp she quickly bumped into Lefiya.

"Hey, Lefiya!" she called out happily.

"Tiona-san. What are you doing here?" the young elf asked.

"Riveria asked me to pick up some snacks for everyone at the weird Dungeon thingy."

"Oh, well I'll help you," Lefiya offered.

"Really?! You're the best!"

Lefiya blushed, but smiled nonetheless and led Tione to the kitchen area of their camp, and the two grabbed their bundle of goodies before heading out of the camp and back towards the rest of Loki familia. It was while they were walking that the Amazon noticed a familiar sight.

"Argonaut-kun!" she cried, nearly dropping everything she was carrying when she ran over to him, leaving behind a startled Lefiya to catch up.

The Hestia familia and Achilles all turned and Bell smiled as Tiona came running towards them.

"Hello Tiona-san," he greeted cheerfully.

"Whatcha ya guys doing here?" she asked.

"We could ask you the same thing," Bell returned signally towards the food in her arms.

"Oh, yeah," she laughed. "I'm just going to get snacks for everyone. We're helping Hermes familia explore that Dungeon around the Dungeon," she explained.

"Knossos?" Bell asked.

"Yeah, that."

"Tiona-san, don't just run away from me like that," Lefiya complained when she finally reached her fellow Loki member.

"Oops, sorry Lefiya. I was just excited to see Argonaut-kun."

The way she phrased that got more than one pair of female eyes to glare at her though she seemed completely oblivious.

"Hello Lefiya-san. How are you?" Bell greeted

"Uh, quite well. Thank you. I'm just helping Tiona-san deliver some supplies to everyone," she replied.

Truth be told, Lefiya wasn't sure how to deal with Bell at the moment. She had certainly not appreciated the level of attention he'd received from Aiz, but he was undoubtedly a respectable adventurer, her viewing his fight versus the black minotaur had cemented that idea in her mind. But now, with the added information that he knew Aiz's secret, and knew it before she and most of the Loki familia did made her uneasy. Add that the Sword Princess was opening up in no small part due to him and she felt very much like she was losing a race.

"Why don't I help you with that?" he suddenly said.

"Huh?" was her reply. Before she knew it, Bell was taking from her bundle and filling his arms with food and water. "Oh! There's no need for that!" she declared.

"It's okay, I think we can spend a few minutes helping you deliver this. Besides, it'll be nice to say hello to everyone," he replied with a smile. "Is that okay with all of you?" he asked, turning to his familia.

"I don't see a problem with it," Welf said.

"Helping out friendly familia is an important part of adventuring," Mikoto added.

"Of course," Haruhime said.

"As long as we're only there to say hello, Bell-sama," Lili warned, eyeing him warily.

"Great! Then lead the way," Bell said.

"You're the best Argonaut-kun!" Tiona stated, happily pushing some of her own bundle into his arms. "This way!" she declared.

The Hestia familia followed after her, leaving Lefiya to wonder for a moment.

"_Is this the person I've been worried about for so long? But he's so kind,"_ she thought. However, not a moment later, another idea came to her mind. "_But what if he's just trying to get closer to Aiz-san?! Oh, I knew he was no good!"_

She ran after them, intent on keeping Bell as far from her Aiz as possible.

However, unknown to everyone, Bell actually had a motive for joining up with the two members of Loki familia, beyond his usual kindness and want to help.

"_I wonder how they took finding out about Aiz's past and if they know that we know,"_ he thought, quickly looking over his familia. "_I hope they're not mad especially since,"_ he turned to Achilles. "_It was Dad who figured it out."_

Feeling eyes on him, Achilles turned and caught Bell's eyes. He tilted his head curiously, Bell's only reaction was to smile at him before turning back towards where Tiona was leading them.

"_Hm. How curious,"_ Achilles thought.

They all arrived at the entrance to Knossos where Riveria and Tione had been joined by the rest of the 'monsters' of Loki familia.

"Hey Riveria, we're back!"

"We're?" the elf replied, suddenly finding herself face to face with the man who she had so vehemently defended yesterday, the memory of which caused a burning sensation to come to her ears.

"Achilles," she said as calmly as she could muster, though a tinge of surprise still came through. Little did she know that the second she had said that name, Finn had turned and began to focus quite intensely on her.

"Surprise," Achilles greeted. "Met these two on our way through the level and Bell decided to take the opportunity to say hello."

"Ah," she quickly glanced at the young man, growing a smile. "I see."

"So, this is the Dungeon around the Dungeon," Achilles said, looking at the entrance.

"Yes. Quite surprising for all of us."

"Meh, when you find out it was Daedelus himself who came up with it, it's a bit less surprising. He was crazy after all."

She laughed lightly.

"I suppose so."

A few paces away, Aiz had caught sight of Bell and was now smiling herself.

"Hello Bell," she greeted.

"Hello Aiz," he returned, a bit of red on his cheeks. "How are you?"

"Very well. I told them."

"How did it go?"

"Well enough. There was some anger. They were upset that you learned before they did."

Bell's eyes fell.

"I can imagine how they felt. I am an outsider after all. If you wouldn't mind, can you tell them I'm sorry."

"For what?" she asked, losing her smile.

"For forcing your hand. It was your secret yet you were forced to tell me and indirectly my familia. We shouldn't have put you in such a situation."

Aiz's smile returned and she reached out and took his hands.

"You didn't force me in anyway, Bell. In fact, I'm actually glad Achilles found out as it was the push I needed to tell my own familia. So I should be thanking you Bell, if anything."

Bell's blush had returned with a vengeance, however, seeing Aiz's smile, he quickly grew one of his own.

Naturally, no one had failed to notice the affection the two were sharing at that moment and many a pair of eyes were looking at the scene with complete hostility. The noticeable exception was Riveria who watched the two come even closer together with contentment. Achilles did not fail to notice this and turned his attention to her.

"So you and Bell have formed a little alliance I hear," he said.

"Indeed we have," she replied, completely unashamed.

"Don't think that means I'm going to give up on my girl."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

"Also, I'd like to know who this mystery person that you're smitten for is."

Riveria's head shot to him causing him to smile.

"So it really is true. And you were so adamant about keeping it close to the chest when we were talking. Yet all of a day later you tell my boy. So...you gonna share so I can make sure they're worthy of you?"

There was no way Riveria could have prevented the mass of red from coming to her face. The idea that the one she loved was now questioning her about it and stating his intent on making sure that they...nay, he, was worthy of her, was far too much for her.

"_I think I'm beginning to understand how Bell-san has been feeling."_

She was saved from any possible push for answers from Achilles by the sound of screaming.

Everyone turned to the Knossos entrance as a group of adventurer's ran out.

"Monster!" they cried.

"How many?" Finn asked, immediately turning on his leader role.

"Only one. A spider like monster with a women's upper half, at least level three in strength. It managed to sneak past Raul while he was distracted by a small horde of them."

"Is his group alright?" Finn asked.

"I think so. We didn't have much time to check before the monster was on us. We tried fighting it off, but we were no match for it."

A roar caught their attention and moments later the monster appeared.

Bell's eyes widened.

"_That looks like…"_

"Hello there," Achilles said, pulling out his sword. "It's not nice to scare people like that," he said before rushing at it.

"Wait Dad!" Bell cried.

Achilles stopped just before the monster, his sword raised.

"Wait?" he asked turning towards Bell.

"Look out!" someone cried out.

Achilles turned again, seeing the monster taking a swipe at him. He easily blocked it then, on pure instinct, delivered a mortal blow across its torso.

The strike caused a spray of blood to go up, covering Achilles's face and chest in gore, but this was of little consequence to him as he focused on finishing the monster.

A look of pain filled the monster's face and it fell to its knees. It wasn't quite done yet as, with hateful eyes, it reached up its human like hands and wrapped them around Achilles's throat. He was completely unaffected by the attempt to end his life, but what happened next, he was not prepared for.

"I...hate...adventure…" its hands fell away and a moment later it burst into ash.

This all went completely unnoticed by Achilles as the moment the words hit his ears, he was lost to the world.

"_Did...did it just…"_

A memory pushed to the forefront of his mind, appearing before him like a vision.

"_**Did you really think you could beat me, insect?"**_

Achilles's arm fell to his side and a second later, the grasp on his sword gave way and he dropped the blade as all strength left his body.

"_It can't be."_

So deep within his thoughts was Achilles lost that it was only when he felt himself being violently shaken did he finally blink and turn his head to a clearly concerned Riveria.

"Achilles, are you alright?!"

He blinked a few more times before his mind had returned enough for him to answer.

"Yes...I'm…," his eyes fell to the magic stone that once belonged to the monster he had just killed. "I'm fine."

The cold, emotionless way he said that did not sit well with Riveria for a moment, but she didn't know what was wrong. One moment he was fine, fighting a monster like normal, the next he was frozen and his weapon had slipped from his head, something which she had never seen before in her life.

"Are you sure? Did it hurt you somehow?" she asked, checking him for injuries.

"No. No," he said with more conviction, shaking his head. "Just got distracted for a moment. Won't happen again," he said pulling his sword to him, and putting it back in its sheath.

Riveria watched him walk away when a voice to her side spoke up.

"What was that?"

She turned and found Finn staring at Achilles with just as much confusion in his eyes as she felt.

"I...I don't know.

"Dad are you alright?!" Bell cried out. He, and everyone else had seen his reaction to the monster and assumed the worst.

"Yes I'm fine. Just got distracted for a moment," Achilles said trying to calm them.

"That didn't look like 'distracted'," Ryuu stated.

Achilles's turned his eyes to her and the two stared at each other for a moment, the young elf trying to figure out what was going on in the elder man's mind, only to have him shrug.

"Don't know what to tell you. Maybe my old age is catching up with me."

No one believed that, and all of them wanted to push the issue, but they silently agreed not to do it there, in front of the others. But the conversation wasn't over, and everyone, including Achilles, knew that.

"Alright, as long as you're okay," Bell said.

"Perfectly fine. Now, it seems the young Raul has returned with his group," Achilles pointed out, seeing his much needed diversion. "Why don't we go make sure that everything's alright?"

Everyone nodded and made their way over to the now bowing Raul who was busy begging for forgiveness from Finn.

"It's alright Raul," the prum captain said. "You handled the situation admirably and no one was hurt."

"Captain," the young Loki member stared at his captain with tearful eyes.

"Everything alright?" Achilles asked.

"Yes. Some monsters appeared from one of Knossos's many hidden pathways, but the situation is under control now.

"Good. Good. Then I guess we'll be off," Achilles stated.

"Maybe you should go clean yourself up first," Finn suggested.

"Why?"

Finn gestured at his current state. Achilles looked down and finally remembered the fact that he was covered in blood.

"Oh. Eh, no biggy. I'll clean up later. Certainly isn't the worst I've looked."

"The smell of blood might attract other monsters to us," Ryuu said. "It would probably be wise to clean off the mess."

"Hm, true, but we did come down here with the intent of pushing ourselves so attracting more monsters isn't necessarily a bad thing," he countered. Seeing the looks he was getting, he sighed. "Geez, fine, I'll go wash off. Feels like I'm a child being scolded by my mother."

A few of them chuckled as Achilles wandered off to clean off.

* * *

Achilles found the nearest pond and fell to his knees. He stared at his bloody reflection as what had just transpired filled his mind.

"_No. No, you just heard things. It was just your imagination,"_ he thought, shaking his head, quickly filling his hands with water and splashing his face over and over again with water.

Finally a bit calmer, he took a deep breath then removed his bloody shirt. Instantly, his eyes fell to the reflection of his chest in the water.

His grip on his shirt tightened at the sight, to the point it threatened to rip.

Unable to stand the sight anymore, he quickly shoved the shirt into the water and began to scrub it viciously, as if he hoped to scrub away the vision that had imprinted on his brain years ago.

"Dad?"

His head snapped to find Bell standing a few feet away.

"Bell!" without even thinking he quickly put his shirt back on, not even noting that it was still very wet. "What's up?"

"Are you alright?" Bell asked, his eyes filled with concern.

"Yes. Just fine," Achilles replied too quickly.

"Dad."

There was no way for Achilles to ignore the clear concern he heard in Bell's voice nor the anxious look in his eyes.

"I just...got caught off guard for a moment."

"Why?"

Achilles's fist tightened as he didn't want to answer. He truly did not. He honestly wasn't sure if there was a time in his life that he didn't want to answer someone more. And yet, he knew he would. Because it was his son.

"_Please don't think I'm crazy, Bell."_

"I thought...I heard the monster speak."

Achilles's head fell as he waited for Bell's reply, hoping beyond hope that he wouldn't think worse of him for it. It was because of this that he didn't see Bell's eyes widened.

"_So they were a Xenos,"_ he thought.

"I know it sounds crazy," Achilles continued, hoping to find some excuse that would ensure Bell didn't think less of him. "Maybe I am getting too old. Hearing things and all that. I just-."

Arms wrapped around him, cutting him off, and he looked down.

"I don't think you're crazy," Bell said, looking up at him. "I'd never think that."

Relief washed over Achilles and he felt the weight of his fear being lifted off his shoulder.

"Thank you Bell," he said, returning the hug, that was until he realized he was still wet and immediately drew back. "Oh I'm sorry."

It took Bell a moment to realize why his father was apologizing, but when he did, he laughed lightly.

"It's no problem. However," he paused. "Why did you put your shirt back on?"

All Achilles's relief vanished as the second question he didn't want to answer appeared.

His silence was noted and once more, curiosity and concern filled Bell's eyes.

"Dad."

Again, he knew that he had to answer and so he sighed.

"I suppose it was going to come up eventually," he said.

Achilles took a deep breath and pulled off his shirt.

Bell's eyes could not have failed to widen at the sight before them if he had tried, and he felt his heart sink into his stomach at the sight.

The wound on Achilles's torso was monstrous, there was no other way to describe it. Stretching from the just below the base of his neck all the way down to his navel, it had clearly never fully healed. The skin was discolored and deformed in some places, in others, to Bell's horror, it was non-existent and he could see muscle that was normally hidden behind the skin and he had to wonder how his father was not constantly bleeding given this fact.

"A little gift from an old friend," he said, doing his best to make the moment light-hearted, but failing utterly as his voice was unable to muster anything beyond cold acceptance and pain.

"Dad," Bell said, shock radiating from his entire being.

"Yeah, it's not very pretty is it?" now Achilles wasn't even trying at humor, he was simply stating the fact. "Even after all these years, and all my attempts, it's never really healed. I suspect it's cursed, or maybe it's just because, by all rights, this should have killed me."

"Don't say that! Don't ever say that!" Bell screamed.

Achilles looked at his son with tender affection.

"I'm sorry I upset you, Bell," he said, going up to the young man and gently stroking his hair. "But it is the truth. I shouldn't have survived this. I got stupid lucky. That's the honest fact of the matter."

"I don't care," Bell replied, his head down. "You survived because you should have. Because the world needs heroes and it wasn't willing to let go of its best one."

Achilles's heart swelled and tears came to his eyes.

"Oh my sweet boy," he said, pulling Bell into a hug and kissing the top of his head. "My heroic boy."

The two were silent for a moment, basking in their familial warmth, before Bell pulled back.

"Wait here a moment," he said.

"Bell?"

His son gave him a smile.

"I'll be right back."

Not knowing what else to do, Achilles nodded, and a moment later, Bell disappeared. With his son gone, he decided to wring out his shirt a bit before putting it back on.

"Dad."

He turned back around and found that not only had Bell returned, but he had brought someone with him.

"Riveria?"

"Bell-san said he had a favor to ask."

Achilles turned his confused eyes to Bell who returned his gaze with a resolute one of his own.

"Show her."

While Riveria was confused by this, Achilles was not and his eyes widened.

"Bell...I'm not-."

"Dad. Please."

Riveria watched their exchange with confusion, but also interest, noting the firm, but tender way Bell was requesting, whatever he was, of the elder captain. Turning back to the former captain, she found him resigning himself and nodding.

"I apologize for ruining your appetite," he said, before grabbing the hem of his shirting and lifting it up.

Riveria gasped.

"Achilles," she said, her voice barely able to summon forth the strength for even a whisper.

"Yeah, I know. It's not pretty."

"How-," she was about to say, when she realized that there was only one way he could have gotten that wound.

"As I said to Bell," Achilles replied, hearing her question anyway. "An old friend."

Bell decided now was a good time to cut in.

"Riveria-san, you know healing magic, correct?"

She turned to him and nodded.

"I do."

"Then may I humbly ask that you do what you can for my father?" Bell asked, immediately bowing before her.

Achilles and Riveria were surprised and his father quickly tried to stop him.

"Bell, that's not necessary. It's more ugly than anything else. No reason to bother Riveria," Achilles said.

"Dad," Bell looked at Achilles from the corner of his eye. "Please."

Achilles wasn't going to be able to say no to that and he knew it. So, for what felt like the umpteenth time that day, he sighed and turned to Riviera.

"If you're willing," he said to her.

"Well…" naturally she would answer in the affirmative. That wasn't a question, however, before she answered, she caught Bell's eyes and noticed the intensity within them. It took her a moment to realize what they were telling her, but when she did, her eyes widened.

"_Take this opportunity. Take this opportunity and heal more than just his wound."_

A tinge of red came to the tip of her ears, unnoticeable to all there, but clearly felt by her.

"_Oh."_

Bringing herself back to reality, she refocused on Achilles, who was still looking at her, awaiting her answer.

"Of course," she quickly said, unsure of how long she had kept him waiting.

"Thank you," he said. He turned back to Bell. "You can go back to the others. Tell them we'll be a moment. Say we're talking, or something."

"Right," Bell replied before turning to leave. However, before he left, he made sure to capture Riveria's gaze one last time.

"_Take this opportunity,"_ he repeated to her.

She gave him the tiniest of nods, and with that, Bell left, leaving the two behind.

"Alright. Give it your best shot, but don't worry if it doesn't make a difference. Fifteen years and probably over a hundred attempts and the thing still isn't healed. I'm not expecting a miracle."

Riveria stared at the wound for a moment before turning her eyes back to his.

"Healing magic was never your strong suit, whereas I have quite the talent for it," she joked, hoping it would ease the mood.

Achilles recognized what she was doing, but allowed it to pass without comment, instead opting to smile.

"Well then, Talented-san, show me what you've got."

Glad to see his smile, she went up to him, placed her hands above his chest and began to chant.

Within a few moments a green glow appeared and covered the damaged area in light as it worked to repair what had been done.

A warm, comfortable feeling filled Achilles chest, easing away the constant, dull pain he felt from the area and allowing him a breath of relief.

"Everything alright?" Riveria asked.

"Yeah," he said with a nod. "It's just that, given it's never fully healed, it does bother me, and though I've mostly gotten used to it, it is nice to have that pain dulled for a while."

"I'm glad I could help," she said.

Though her words were honest, she was wondering if she was truly doing any good. She was pouring her magic into the wound, but no matter how much she poured or how much time passed, it didn't seem to be healing even the slightest.

Not inclined to let it remain as it was, she redoubled her efforts only for Achilles to call out to her.

"Easy, Riveria."

She looked up at him, confused.

"No need to stress yourself to try and fix this," he continued. "As I said, I'm pretty sure it's cursed."

She was silent for a moment before she sighed and pulled her hands back.

"I think you may be right. As far as I can tell I'm not repairing the damage at all."

"I didn't figure you would be able to. No insult to you of course, it's just been my experience that no one has been able to pull it off. I only agreed to do this because Bell asked."

She nodded.

"I understand. Though I must say, to have survived such a wound truly is impressive."

"As I've said before, I got lucky."

"That's clearly not the case. Luck would not be enough to save you from this wound," she said looking over the damage.

Riveria suddenly found things going oddly quiet. Not understanding what had happened, she turned her gaze back to Achilles to find him staring at the ground, a look on his face that clearly indicated that he had something on his mind.

"Achilles?"

His gaze remained towards the ground, the look of contemplation burning ever more brightly on his features.

"You're going to think I'm crazy," he finally said.

That surprised her.

"Why would I think that?"

He was silent again for a moment before responding.

"The reason I say I got lucky isn't out of some sense of modesty or heroic good nature. It's because I didn't escape the One-Eyed Black Dragon. I was rescued."

That caught her attention.

"What?"

"It's hard to believe, but someone...a woman, suddenly appeared and put herself between me and the Dragon, and...stopped it, somehow. I can't remember…" he grabbed his head. "She healed me," he continued. "As best as she could then disappeared, along with the Dragon, leaving me to crawl back to Orario."

"Why have you never mentioned this?"

"Because I wasn't sure if it was real," he replied, a hint of desperation and fear in his voice. It took a moment for Riveria to realize why and her heart tightened as she realized he truly was afraid she would think he was insane. "She came out of nowhere," he continued. "And somehow… stopped the Dragon. Just froze it. Not literally I mean...just...it stopped. Something happened but everything is such a blur, even after all the time I've spent trying to remember. To remember why it stopped. But I still can't." he grabbed his head. "Then she comes up to me, heals my wounds so that I won't die, then tells me…," the lost look in his eyes intensified and Riveria was worried that she would get lost herself looking into those desperate eyes. "'Live' and smiles at me. It's just," he shook his head. "It doesn't even sound real when I say it, and it happened to me. I saw it. I'm here because of it, and I still can't really tell if it was a dream or not. I mean...it sounds like a fairy tale you tell children to make sure the hero survives. Either that or I really am insane. It's hard to tell sometimes."

His head fell into his hands as the memories rushed through his head, filling him with confusion, anxiety, and dread. It was all too much for Riveria to bare and without even thinking she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into her warm embrace.

"You're not insane, Achilles," she said resolutely. "I believe you entirely."

"You...you do?" he asked, his head resting against her shoulder.

"Yes. You wouldn't make something like this up. Not with regards to the Dragon."

He was a bit surprised by this, afterall, if it sounded crazy to him, he could only imagine how it sounded to others. It also didn't help that this was the second time today he was worried for his sanity and he felt he had used up all his luck in that regard with Bell. Yet, here she was, someone who had many reasons to not only distrust him, but outright hate him, doing neither, and offering her comfort.

"Thank you, Rivieria," he said, wrapping his arms around her.

"No need to thank me. The only person that should be thanked is this woman for allowing you to come back to me."

Instantly, everything stopped.

Riveria's eyes widened as she realized what she had just said and Achilles did not fail to notice the interesting choice of words she had just used.

"Come back to you?"

She didn't reply. She couldn't. She could feel heat coming to her ears and cheeks and she certainly didn't trust her mouth after that. Unfortunately for her, Achilles felt the sudden warming of her ears, and pulled back enough to see them rapidly reddening. Even more confused than before, he pulled back fully and looked down.

"Riveria?"

The motherly elf had her face firmly planted in his chest and desperately did not want to look at him at that moment. She knew what her face would look like and she knew that this, in turn, would bring questions to Achilles's mind that she very desperately did not want him asking right now.

"Riveria? Why won't you look at me?"

She couldn't answer.

"Riveria. Look at me."

The way he said that ensured she couldn't deny him. It wasn't an order. Far from it. He would never order her around. She knew that. No, this was the request of a friend. A warm call of affection asking her to help him understand. And as much as she wanted to deny it, to prevent him from seeing her and therein bringing forth questions she could not answer, she couldn't. And so, she lifted her head and looked him in the eye.

The sudden burst of red that came to Achilles's eyes honestly surprised him. He had only ever seen Riveria blush on a few occasions and nothing to this extent. From her neck to the tips of her ears, her skin was the most radiate rosy color he had ever seen. This fact was only made all the more exquisite by the look in her eyes. He actually felt his breath catch when he saw the demure look she was staring at him with. After staring at her for a few moments, breathlessly taking her in, he suddenly realized that she was shaking, as if she was stuck in a blizzard or terribly frightened of something. And that something, he instantly recognized, was him.

"Riveria," he said slowly. Her eyes widened and he felt the shaking increase. "What am I missing?"

She tried to answer, she truly did, but her mouth could not form any words.

"Riveria," he leaned in closer to her, something which caused the shaking to suddenly stop as a new emotion entered her eyes. Anticipation. "What don't I know?"

Two paths were open before Riveria at that moment. One, the path that was built upon her suppressed desires, that entailed doing the following: pull the man before her down for a soul-searing kiss powerful enough to break a goddess of beauty's hold on a mortal man before confessing her feelings for him and putting her heart in his hands. A high risk, high reward path that part of her roared for her to take. The second path however….

Before Achilles could respond, Riveria suddenly pushed herself away from him and fled as quickly as she could without outright running, not even sparing the ex-captain a glance as she did her best to hide her burning face from him.

"Riveria!" Achilles called out. Naturally, he received no response and he was left standing by himself, confusion etched into his face. "What just happened?"

* * *

Done! Whew. I am so sorry that this took so long. As I said last chapter, I'm trying to get everything in order, both in this story, and in life, and this chapter was fighting me for some time with what to do with it. Anyway, that all said, I do hope you enjoyed it. If you did, or even if you didn't, please tell me what you thought. I do like hearing back from you guys and it's a great way for me to improve. I promise I'm going to go back and fix the little mistakes I've made in previous chapters, but I wanted to give you another chapter first, at least. Alright, with all that said, I really do hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you all next time, so, until then, bye for now.

P.S. I just wanted to add something that I noticed while I was editing. I do not hate Lili. As I was ready I was worried things might be coming off that way. I actually enjoy her character, and her portrayal is merely how I think she'd act in the given situation. So, for any Lili fans, I just wanted to make that clear, and apologize if it appears my portrayal is unfair.


	17. Chapter 17

Hello good people and welcome back! Have I got a chapter for you. Got to say that I've very excited for this one as I had a supertanker of inspiration come to me at work of all places. Please don't tell my boss. That said, I'm finding increasing difficult to write this story as so many ideas are popping up and organizing all of it coherently is a real challenge, but in a good way. Anywho, I'm very excited and hopefully, hopefully, I'll be able to actually finish what was originally supposed to be one long chapter and now has turned into four or five, I can't even remember at this point. I almost split this one because of how long it got and how much I put in it. However, I wanted to finish the original chapter idea and give you guys a real treat. Also, thank you all again for your responses, they are helpful and appreciated, and with that, let's get to the story.

I do not own Danmachi

* * *

Freya watched her dearly beloved Bell walk with his familia towards the Dungeon with a sly smile on her perfect lips.

The events of the party once more played through her mind, namely his threatening of her. Even now she felt a tingle go through her as the raw power he had exhibited filled her with unparalleled delight.

"Oh Bell, what am I going to do with you?" she wondered aloud.

Her attention was refocused when she noticed he and his familia had stopped in the middle of the street.

She watched attentively as Bell went through a range of emotions while his familia gathered around him providing what appeared to be comfort. Interesting as this was, it became more so when she saw the golden-haired renard approach him and take his hand.

"_Hm, isn't that the girl that Achilles-kun was speaking to?"_

She watched with increasing interest as Bell's eyes grew ever larger and a dusting of red appeared on his cheeks.

"_Hm."_

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Achilles and turned her gaze to him. He was smiling. More precisely, he was smiling at the two before him. Her Bell and the renard.

"_Oh,"_ she realized. "_I see."_

"So you're the one my dear Achilles was speaking with my beloved Bell about? How interesting."

She fell silent for a moment, her mind contemplating this new information, when she discovered a group of her familia surrounding the Hestia familia, glaring down at its captain.

Her smile grew as an idea began to form in her mind.

* * *

"Wait Dad!" Bell cried, hoping to stop his father from hurting what he feared was one of the Xenos.

"Wait?" his father turned to him, clearly confused.

"Watch out!" someone cried.

Achilles quickly turned back to the monster and proceeded to block its attack and then counter with one of his own. An attack that, Bell could tell, would kill the monster.

"_No. Please. Please tell me that wasn't one of them."_

He watched as the monster wrapped its hands around his father's neck and then, to his horror, he watched its mouth move in what was unquestionably language and language that Bell could understand.

"_I...hate...adventure…"_

The monster fell, its eyes pointing in his direction and he felt his breath catch as he saw all the pain, sadness, and fear in its eyes.

"_I wish things had been different,"_ those eyes said, just before they disappeared in a cloud of ash.

Bell felt his heart break as those words echoed in his mind and a crippling sense of failure fell over him. He had worked so hard to save every one of the Xenos when they were trapped on the surface and, by some kind of Heavenly grace, had actually managed to do so. But now, here he was, unable to do anything when one of them was struck down as simply as one bats away a fly. And this Xenos, this life he had vowed to help one day come to the surface, had been struck down by none other than his own father.

He tried to tell himself that his father simply didn't know. That if he did know about the Xenos he would pledge his own support for them and aid in their dream. But he couldn't. Because he wasn't sure if that was the truth.

"_Would he help the Xenos?"_ Bell wondered as his eyes refocused on his father.

The moment he did so, his brow furrowed as he noticed that something was off.

His father's arm had fallen to his side, and it appeared as if all strength had left his body. Suddenly, he watched as the sword slipped from his father's fingers and crashed into the ground.

The sight was shocking, and not only for him. Everyone now stared at the fallen sword in shock before turning their eyes back to its wielder who, to their even greater shock and growing concern, was utterly lost to the world.

"Dad," he called out. No answer.

He was about to approach him when he saw Riveria out of the corner of his eye. She signalled to him that she would try, and he nodded, trusting her with his father.

"Achilles," she called gently, only to receive the same silence that Bell had received. "Achilles," she tried again, a bit louder and placing her hand on his shoulder. Still he did not move. The anxious feeling in the air began to grow as everyone, from Riveria and the Loki familia, to Bell and the Hestia familia, began to feel the icy touch of fear enter their hearts. "Achilles," she tried again, even louder and shaking him firmly. Yet, still nothing. Now bordering on terror, Riveria grasped his shoulder hard enough to bruise and shook him violently and cried out. "Achilles, are you alright!?"

Light finally returned to his eyes and he turned to her. He blinked a few times, clearly still recovering from his daze, before answering her.

"Yes...I'm…" he stopped as he looked away from her for a moment. She wondered where he was looking, but before she could check, he turned back to her. "I'm fine."

A shiver went up her spine when she heard the frigid way he'd said that.

"Are you sure? Did it hurt you somehow?" she asked.

"No. No. Just got distracted for a moment. Won't happen again," he stated. He then used his magnetism to bring his sword back to his hand before turning and walking away.

"Dad are you alright?!" Bell cried, worry permeating through him.

"Yes I'm fine. Just got distracted for a moment."

Bell didn't believe him, and neither did his familia, made clear by Ryuu's counter. Yet, he simply brushed it off with a joke. This did little to ease them, but whatever was wrong they felt it was best not to discuss it here and so let it go. The moment they did so Bell noticed a drop of relief come to his father's eyes before he promptly excused himself to check on the situation with Finn.

The moment he was gone, the members of Hestia familia turned to each other.

"What do you think is wrong?" Welf asked to Bell in a low voice, well aware of the ex-captain's propensity of overhearing things.

"I'm not entirely sure," Bell returned in an equally low tone. "But I think that monster was a Xenos."

A bit of surprise entered the eyes of his familia.

"But why would a Xenos attack adventurers, Bell-sama? Especially the Loki familia?" Lili asked.

"I'm not sure. It might be that they aren't a member of Lyd's group. Either that or they held too much anger towards adventurers to hold back," Bell replied, a look of unmistakable sadness entering his features.

Each of his familia understood how he was feeling and it wasn't long before Haruhime took his hand, catching his attention.

"Perhaps later we can ask Fels-sama to send a message for us to the others to see if something's happened and tell them what happened here."

"It would certainly give us a better picture of the situation," Ryuu said.

Bell thought about the idea for a moment, then, with a small smile, he nodded.

"I'll ask Hestia-sama if she can get in contact with Ouranous-sama and Fels."

The others smiled as well, glad to see that the suggestion had eased the burden on his heart. That done, they turned back to Achilles.

"Maybe you should go clean yourself up first," Finn suggested to the former Zeus captain.

"Why?"

The prum gestured towards Achilles's current state.

"Oh. Eh, no biggy. I'll clean up later. Certainly isn't the worst I've looked."

"The smell of blood might attract other monsters to us. It would probably be wise to clean off the mess," Ryuu stated, not interested in making the day any more difficult than it needed to be.

"Hm, true, but we did come down here with the intent of pushing ourselves so attracting more monsters isn't necessarily a bad thing," Achilles countered. However, after seeing the looks he was getting, he sighed. "Geez, fine, I'll go wash off. Feels like I'm a child being scolded by my mother."

Bell watched as his father walked away, barely noticing the chuckles around him as he recognized his chance to confirm his suspicions.

Excusing himself, he followed after his father, quickly finding him kneeling before a pool, looking like he was attacking the water.

"Dad?"

The elder adventurer's head shot to him.

"Bell!" he cried before quickly putting the still very much wet shirt back on. "What's up?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Are you alright?" Bell asked.

"Yes. Just fine."

"_He said that way too quickly,"_ the white rabbit thought.

"Dad," his voice clearly indicated that he wasn't going to buy that.

"I just...got caught off guard for a moment."

"Why?"

Bell could tell his father did not want to answer by the way his body tensed and his face scrunched painfully as some thought reverberated through his mind. Finally though, he answered.

"I thought...I heard the monster speak."

The young captain felt a stone sink into his stomach as his earlier fear was finally confirmed.

"_So they were a Xenos."_

"I know it sounds crazy." Bell was snapped out of his thoughts by his father's voice. "Maybe I'm getting too old. Hearing things and all that." The tone his father was using quickly registered in Bell's mind and the stone sank deeper as he realized that his father was clearly confused and distressed by the sudden appearance of the Xenos. "I just-," his father tried to continue.

Bell cut him off by running up to him and wrapping his arms around him.

"I don't think you're crazy. I'd never think that," he affirmed.

He felt the tension fall from his father.

"Thank you Bell," Achilles said before returning the hug. Suddenly though, he pulled away. "Oh I'm sorry."

Confused, Bell eventually figured out that his father was apologizing for getting him wet and he laughed.

"It's not a problem. However, why did you put your shirt back on?"

The apprehension that had only just disappeared, returned the moment he asked that.

"Dad?"

His father sighed.

"I suppose it was going to come up eventually."

The moment his father lifted up his shirt, Bell felt as if his heart had sunk into his feet.

"_He's...he's lived with this the entire time I've known him?"_

A soul shattering sense of guilt filled Bell for his failure of knowing about the wound and giving his father the necessary support. Had Achilles been aware of this, he would have instantly countered by pointing out there was no way for Bell to have known, yet, had this occurred, it would have done little to ease the current disgust Bell felt at himself for failing to realize the pain his father was undoubtedly in.

"A little gift from an old friend," Achilles said.

"Dad," Bell repeated, practically shaking.

"Yeah, it's not very pretty is it? Even after all these years, and all my attempts, it's never really healed. I suspect it's cursed, or maybe it's just because, by all rights, this should have killed me."

Those were not words Bell Cranel was about to accept.

"Don't say that! Don't ever say that!" he screamed.

A soft smile grew on Achilles's lips.

"I'm sorry I upset you, Bell," he said as he went up to his son and began to stroke his hair. "But it is the truth. I shouldn't have survived this. I got stupid lucky. That's the honest fact of the matter."

"I don't care. You survived because you should have. Because the world needs heroes and it wasn't willing to let go of its best one."

"Oh my sweet boy," Achilles returned, pulling him into a hug and kissing the top of his head. "My heroic boy."

Bell didn't respond. He was too upset by what he'd seen and heard.

"_He's had this for years. For the entire time I've known him, yet I never thought to ask. What is wrong with me?"_ he chastised himself. "_I have to make this up to him, or at least try. But how? I don't know healing magic."_

His eyes widened as he realized something.

"_I may not know healing magic, but I know the perfect person who does."_

Bell pulled back from him.

"Wait here a moment," he said.

"Bell?"

The Hestia captain smiled.

"I'll be right back."

Not giving his father a chance to respond, he ran off to find the perfect person that could heal his father, and in more ways than one.

Running back to where his and the Loki familia were located, he quickly found who he was looking for.

"Riveria-san."

The elf turned.

"Yes Bell-san?"

"I'd like to ask a favor, if I may."

Confused, but seeing no reason to deny the young man, she nodded.

"Of course, I'd be happy to help, if I can."

"Thank you. Follow me."

Riveria, even more curious than before, followed after Bell. However, they did not leave unnoticed with Finn and Gareth eyeing the situation curiously, Aiz watching them with questioning eyes alongside most of both her and Bell's familia, and Lili watching the two walk away with eyes of burning jealousy. Interestingly enough, hers weren't the only eyes burning right at that moment.

"_He's trying to win Aiz and Riveria-sama?! That indecent human!" _Lefiya internally cried just before the two disappeared behind the trees.

The two disappeared, leaving everyone else to speculate what was going on.

"Where do you think they're going?" Tiona asked out loud to no one in particular.

"Does it really matter?" her sister asked.

"Well yeah! What if we were wrong about Argonaut-kun. What if he was after Riveria the whole time and not-."

"Tiona."

The Amazon turned to Finn who was looking at her with disapproving eyes.

"Achilles is that way, I suspect it has something to do with him. Also, I'll remind you that it is not your duty or right to reveal someone else's feelings," he said sternly.

Quickly figuring out what he meant, Tiona looked at Aiz before rubbing her neck sheepishly.

"You're right. Sorry captain."

Bete rolled his eyes.

"_Idiot practically spelled it out with that look."_

Luckily, Aiz remained, to put it bluntly, too much of an airhead to recognize what was going on. It also helped that she was distracted by the concept of Bell liking Riveria.

"_Bell's after Riveria?"_

A terribly, gnawing feeling filled her stomach and an anger that she could not explain suddenly came across her.

"Aiz."

She turned towards Finn who had noticed her sudden shift in behavior.

"She's probably just talking to Achilles about something," his eyes turned. "See, here comes Bell now. Without Riveria."

She turned and, indeed, Bell was returning, a smile on his face as he walked over to his familia.

"What was that about, Bell-sama?" Lili asked, a hint of anger in her eyes.

Bell began to fidget, increasing the curiosity and anger amongst his familia before he replied.

"I'm not sure it's my right to tell you guys, but maybe if you guys know, you can help."

"Help what?" Welf asked, taking note of the increasing hostility in not only Lili's eyes but, even more frighteningly, Ryuu's eyes.

Bell suddenly looked at the Loki familia, and after checking to see that they were far enough away, he leaned in and signaled for them to do the same. Still confused, they nonetheless did so.

"Yesterday I found out something about Riveria-san. She likes my dad."

That garnered some surprise.

"Riveria-sama cares for Achilles-dono?" Mikoto asked.

Bell nodded.

"You're sure?" Welf asked.

Again, Bell nodded.

"And by like, you mean she's in love with him?" Lili verified.

Bell, now smiling widely, nodded vigorously.

"And I promised to help her win him over."

"Why would you do that?" Ryuu asked, not cynically, just out of simple curiosity.

"Because I want Dad to be happy and I think she'll give him that happiness. She's certainly a better candidate than Freya."

They all agreed with that.

"That's wonderful Bell-sama," Haruhime said joyfully. "I will happily help you bring them together."

"Count me in as well. The guy's a lot to handle, but he deserves a good woman to be by his side," Welf said.

"I'll help as well," Mikoto added.

Ryuu nodded, adding herself to the romantic alliance.

"I suppose Lili can help, as long as she's not after Bell-sama," the prum agreed.

Their new alliance made, they all stood up just in time to see Riveria return, her face putting most raging fires to shame with its color, heat, and intensity, as she all but ran passed not only them, but her own familia.

"Riveria?" Finn called. However she did not stop even for a moment, marching straight on passed, her head low and refusing to look anyone in the eye.

"Riveria!"

Everyone turned to see Achilles's rushing into the clearing.

Now, Riveria did start to run and within moments she had fled into the trees leaving a group confused adventurers behind her, none more so than the utterly bewildered Achilles who now stood with his hands on his hips at the spot where she had disappeared.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked aloud, his mind reeling at the actions of the woman he had known for decades.

"Dad," Bell walked over to him. "What happened?"

"I've been asking myself that for the past couple of minutes and I've got nothing," Achilles replied. "We were just talking and then she said…" he stopped.

"What did she say?" Bell pressed, hoping that his plan had worked, at least in part.

Achilles didn't reply, instead thinking back to what had been said.

"_The only person that should be thanked is this woman for allowing you to come back to me."_

"_Come back to me."_

"_Come back to her?"_ Achilles thought.

Before he could contemplate further, Bell called out to him.

"Dad?"

He turned and, remembering where he was, he shook his head.

"Sorry. Nothing. She didn't say anything. Anyway," he quickly moved on. "We should probably continue down the Dungeon. I did say I was going to push you guys today."

Bell knew a dodge when he saw one, especially from his father, but whatever it was, he also knew he wasn't getting anything more from him at the moment and so nodded.

"I'll go get the others."

A few paces away, Finn was watching the whole scene transpire with interest and ever more knowing eyes.

* * *

Not far away from the two familias, Riveria had finally stopped running and placed her hand against a tree.

Her other hand came up and touched her lips.

"_What would have happened if I had…?"_

Her mind suddenly filled with imagines of the act she had oh so recently considered enacting.

_Achilles was surprised, naturally, to have Riveria suddenly kiss him. No, kiss wasn't the right word. This was a passionate display of adoration. A silent promise of affection, loyalty, and safety that promised the one receiving it nothing but the purest, most honest and passionate love. So great was the fire of this display of utter adoration, that it filled him simultaneously with rapture and serenity, easing away all his pain, both within his body and within his soul. It was so wonderful that there was only one response that could be given and, soon enough, his eyes closed, his arms found their way around her waist, and he pulled her against him as tightly as possible, and returned everything she had given him with his own utter devotion. _

_She, feeling his adoration filling her soul, reached her own arms up and wrapped them around his neck, somehow deepening the kiss, filling them both with such indescribable warmth that both knew, in their heart and soul, that they would never feel cold again._

_Suddenly though, before she could react, Achilles pulled back. She attempted to reclaim his lips and wondered why he had retreated from her only to find out a moment later when he began to nibble, oh so gently, on her ear._

"_Achilles!"_

Her eyes suddenly snapped open.

"_What am I thinking?!" _she screamed internally, her face feeling as if it truly would burst into flames at any moment. Her mortification wasn't over as she noticed a particularly interesting sensation.

Recognizing the feeling, she slowly looked down towards her waist, her eyes widening as the realization fully set in.

The bark of the tree she was holding suddenly shattered in her hand.

"_Damn you, Achilles. You're turning me into teenager!"_

* * *

The Hestia familia continued down the Dungeon at a steady pace. Achilles, for the most part, had taken a back seat to the whole affair, making sure that the younger adventurers had their chance to grow. However, he also encouraged Bell and Ryuu to take a step back so that the lower levelled members of their familia could gain the lion's share of the experience. They had agreed, though they still occasionally jumped in when things were getting a bit hectic. Finally though, they reached the twenty-fifth floor.

"It's so beautiful!" Haruhime declared.

"Indeed it is," Achilles agreed as he stared out at the what was known as the Water City. An aquatic paradise as far as the eye could see and, off in the distance the titanic Great Fall, a waterfall 400 meters across and at least twice that height, stood proudly.

"Should we turn back here?" Mikoto asked.

"I see no reason why we would need to. You're all still in very good shape and I'd say we still have some time before we risk staying overnight," Achilles said.

"Then let's keep going, at least for a little while," Bell replied.

"Excel-."

Achilles stopped when he caught sight of a semi-familiar figure.

"Dad?"

"We have company."

Bell and the others looked towards where he was looking and discovered a red-haired woman walking towards them.

"Who's that?" Welf asked.

"An enemy?" Ryuu asked getting into a stance.

"Bell," Achilles said. "That's the woman I saw in the Dungeon before. The one that tried to kill Aiz."

Bell's eyes widened, but only for a moment, soon they lowered into a glare as his grip on his knives tightened.

"So she's an enemy"

Achilles recognized that that wasn't a question, but decided to answer anyway.

"I'd say so, yes."

Everyone tensed as the woman drew closer, staring her down, waiting for whatever was to come. Finally, she stopped before them.

"Achilles Caesar?" the woman said, her voice devoid of all emotion.

"Yes? And who might you be?"

"My name is unimportant. You will come with me. Now," she ordered.

"Oh will I?" Achilles replied.

"You will if you value the lives of these adventurers," she threatened.

Suddenly, four vine-like monsters with flowers for heads popped out of the ground and surrounded the Hestia familia, looking down on its members with salivating mouths.

"So it's like that?" Achilles said, his eyes gaining a dangerous glint. The red-haired woman did not reply. "Well I'll warn you that I do not take kindly to threats, especially against my son and his familia," he stated, punctuating his warning by having his lightning pass along his blade, the crackingly of which echoed through the Dungeon.

"That's enough, Revis. Honestly, we simply must work on your manners."

Everyone turned and found a figure in black clothing that was covered in masks, standing some distance away. Naturally, another mask adored their face hiding their identity.

"And you are?" Achilles growled, in no mood for games.

"Ah yes, of course. Introductions must be done. My name is Enyo. This is Revis. And that is Ein."

Everyone but Achilles turned to find a third figure, also wearing a mask, behind them.

"Enyo? That's an interesting name," Achilles stated.

"Why thank you. And you are Achilles Caesar. The great captain of the Zeus familia. The Olympian. The first level seven, and the only person to have survived fighting the One-Eyed Black Dragon."

"If you're trying to compliment me, save your breath and tell me what you want."

Silence fell over the area as Achilles and Enyo stared at each other. Finally, the masked figure spoke.

"Straight down to business I see. I can respect that. Then I shall tell you. You see," Enyo began, his hands beginning to gesture about. "I have a particular goal in mind. A goal I think you can help me with, Achilles. To get to the meat of the matter I wish you to help me collect the special items that the Zeus and Hera familias had in their possession. You know the ones. The ancient and powerful items the two hid away. The items of which the world has not seen or been able to recreate since their creation."

Shock filled the features of the Hestia familia, which did not go unnoticed by Enyo.

"Oh it appears that I'm not the only one privy to the information," he said.

"Two questions," Achilles said. "One: what do you want such items for, assuming they exist? Two: why would I give them to you?"

"You're attempts at hiding their existence are pointless, Achilles. I have been aware that the items themselves have existed for a long time, only the specifics evade me. But to answer your questions. Firstly, I wish to, quite simply, bring about the end."

"The end? The end of what?" Achilles demanded.

"Orario. This age. Everything," Enyo replied. "It's already upon us. The end is near. A beautiful madness shall fall over the world and bring an end to it all."

No one liked the sound of that, but Achilles did not press on that issue. He still had another question, one that was far more important for him to receive an answer.

"And why would I help you with such a goal? Why would I give you what you seek?"

Though he could not see them, Achilles was keenly aware of the malevolent eyes behind Enyo's mask.

"Because if you don't, I will kill all those youngsters behind you."

Revis drew her weapon and Ein got into a stance as the vine monsters around them began to lean in, clearly preparing for an attack.

The Hestia familia all closed ranks and prepared for the onslaught to come, sweat dripping down their skin as they could tell just from the atmosphere, that every one of their opponents was strong.

"So?" Enyo continued. "Do we have a deal?"

His answer was not a spoken one. Instead, the crackingly from earlier grew louder and louder, bouncing against the walls of the Dungeon with increasing force until one might have begun to worry that the sound alone would cause a cave in. Finally though, Achilles, his eyes now nothing more than electric blue light, his teeth bared, and his blood boiling hotter than magma, responded.

"Here's what's going to happen," he began, his voice low and menacing, so much so that even members of the Hestia familia found themselves unnerved by his tone. "I'm going to destroy those monsters. Kill your little friends. Take that mask off of you and smash it against your face. Then, I'm going to beat you half to death before dragging your barely breathing carcass up to the surface to make you someone else's problem."

Enyo stared down the former captain.

"I see."

The monsters suddenly attacked, aiming for the Hestia familia.

"Close the shining gates of Olympus and bar all from entering its heavenly grace. Walls of Lightning!" Achilles roared.

Bell and the others were suddenly surrounded by light, just in time for the monsters to smash against them and be repelled by the attack. This gave Achilles time to counter-attack as he jumped into the air and kicked one of the monsters in the head. It fell gracelessly to the ground before bursting into ash.

"Hm, perhaps I underestimated him," Enyo thought aloud as he watched Achilles's relentless assault on the monsters. "No matter. We can try again another time. Time to go," Enyo said, signally to Revis and Ein.

"I can take him," Revis stated.

"No you cannot. Not now. He'll tear you apart, after all, he is stronger than the Sword Princess by far," he said, gaining a glare from Revis.

"With the violas and Ein, we can overcome him," she pushed.

"The violas will be gone in moments," Enyo said, his eye catching sight of Achilles cutting through another viola. "And besides, what of the other adventurers? It's not as if they'll simply stand by while you kill him."

"They are weak. We can deal with them."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," he replied, his eyes zoning in on Bell who was watching his father cut through the monsters. However, feeling eyes on him, Bell turned and stared directly at Enyo. The masked figure watched as the young man's eyes turned from confused to determined, as if he was silently taking up whatever challenge Enyo wanted to throw at him.

"_How interesting,"_ the masked figure thought.

"No, that will not work. We will retreat for now," he stated firmly.

"You heard him," Ein said, appearing next to her master.

Revis was clearly not pleased, but seeing that Achilles was already finishing up with the violas, she realized it would be unwise to proceed.

"Fine."

With that, the three retreated, leaving behind an enraged Achilles, a worried Hestia familia, and a determined Bell.

The last of the violas dealt with, Achilles turned to where Enyo had been and found that he, and his associates, had already disappeared.

"Damn it," he growled, sheathing his sword. "Everyone alright?" he asked, going over to the younger adventurers.

"Yeah. A bit shaken up by whoever those guys were, but fine," Welf said.

"I am also alright," Mikoto added.

"Physically fine, but I'm concerned with how they knew about the items in Zeus and Hera's care," Ryuu stated.

"My guess is that Enyo is a god, and learned about it some time in the past."

"A god? But why would a god want to bring about the end of Orario?" Haruhime asked.

"Hard to say, but I think the short answer would be that he's an Evilus."

That word made everyone tense, none more so than Ryuu whose knuckles bled white as anger filled her.

"Deep breaths Ryuu. This certainly isn't going to be the last time we see them," Achilles told her.

She took a breath and nodded, knowing his was right. Another chance would come.

Ryuu now calm, Achilles focused his attention on Bell who, he quickly noticed, seemed lost in thought.

"You alright Bell?" Achilles asked, going up to his son.

"Oh...yeah. Fine. Just…"

"Just...what?" Achilles asked, a bit worried.

"I'm sorry I let them escape."

Achilles was surprised for a moment, but soon chuckled.

"You don't need to apologize for that. Letting them go was the right decision. We don't know how strong they are, but we knew they weren't pushovers, so there's nothing to apologize for. You did the responsible thing. If anyone should apologize, it should be me for losing my temper."

"They threatened us. If anyone understands getting angry about someone threatening or degrading someone's family, it would be me," Bell replied.

Achilles smiled down at Bell then affectionately stroked his hair.

"Thank you, Bell."

The rest of the Hestia familia allowed them a moment, in part because the affection they shared eased their own concerns and allowed the tension to dissipate. However, Lili eventually decided to cut in.

"That said, that temper of yours in quite scary, Achilles-sama, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't let it out very often."

Achilles chuckled and nodded.

"I can agree to that."

Lili nodded, content with his word.

"Now, with them gone, I think it would be wise to return to the surface. We need to report this to the Guild and I should probably talk to Loki familia about this," Achilles said.

Everyone was quick to agree and the Hestia familia turned around and began their trek back towards the surface.

* * *

The Loki familia had finished up their work with the Hermes familia soon after Achilles and the others had left, something which Riveria was extremely grateful for. However, what she was not grateful for was the constant presence of the eyes on her as they returned home. She could practically feel the questions on the lips of her familia, but they had, at least for the moment, kept silent. She knew that this would not last forever, but she needed it to last long enough to come up with a believable excuse.

"_But how could I possibly excuse my behavior? It was beyond questionable, it was absurd! I ran from him. Like a child with a crush! And then I…"_ her mind replayed the scene she had concocted in her mind and she felt the blood rush back to her ears and face, something she was sure was noticed by the others. "_I can't come up with anything. I'm going to have to lie, and lie badly, or simply deny the whole thing, unless I want to confess," _that idea did not appeal to her, not only because her familia was still very wary of Achilles, and with admittedly good reason, but because, if they did accept her feelings, she knew what would come next.

"_Riveria likes the Olympian! Riveria likes the Olympian!" _came the teasing voice of Tiona. She could perfectly imagine the smirks on their faces as they began to conjure up ways of poking fun at her. This was only made worse as the idea transformed into having Tiona sing, "_Riveria and Achilles sitting in the Dungeon…"_

She actually face-palmed at that idea and sighed heavily.

"_This evening is going to be terrible."_

They finally returned to the Twilight Manor and Riveria was prepared for the onslaught to come.

"So, Riv-," Tiona tried to begin.

"Riveria," Finn cut in, his voice commanding and leaving no room for anyone else to enter. "Come with me."

Knowing that tone of voice and at the same time, eager to get away from her more prying familia member, Riveria followed without complaint.

Gareth joined them as they disappeared down the hall, leaving the younger members of their familia to ponder.

"No fair. The captain can't just steal her away like that before we can find out what that was all about," Tiona complained.

"For once Tiona, I actually agree with you," Tione replied.

The three leaders of Loki familia made their way through the mansion until they arrived at Finn's room.

"I figured here would give us the most privacy," he stated.

She nodded and all three entered.

"So," Finn began, taking a seat at his desk. "How long?"

The question caught Riveria off guard as it wasn't the one she was expecting.

"How long, what?"

He smirked.

"How long have you had feelings for Achilles?"

Red returned to Riveria's face as the overwhelming sense of being the child whose mother had just discovered their crush fell over her. It didn't help that Gareth was there, looking at her, not with eyes of surprise or disgust, but of knowing.

"I realized my feelings for him when Freya kissed him. Almost losing him before my eyes made me realize how I felt," she admitted. In truth, she was somewhat grateful to get this off her chest. She didn't like hiding her feelings from anyone and that included her familia, she had simply thought it was for the best given all that had happened recently. That said, it did not do much to decrease her embarrassment.

"But you suspected before then, correct?" the prum continued to push.

"Yes. It's been many years since I suspected I viewed him as more than a friend, but was unable or unwilling to admit it," she answered, her embarrassment growing further.

"Zeus's party for Foundation Day."

Finn and Riveria turned to Gareth.

"Pardon?" Riveria asked.

"That's when you started to fall for him. Zeus's Foundation Day party where you and Achilles played the piano together. _Lean On Me_, I believe it was. I saw the way your eyes changed after the song. They had a warmth in them that only comes about one way."

Riveria's face was burning now. Not only had Gareth been aware of her feelings, he had known the whole time. Longer than she technically had.

"Wow, the Foundation Day party? Really? That was a long time ago. Loki familia had barely started getting a name for itself back then. And, fell for him? Don't tell me you're in love with him Riveria?" Finn questioned.

She sighed.

"Yes. I am in love with Achilles."

"Huh. And here I was hoping it was simple attraction. Love makes it a bit more complicated."

"I am aware," she stated.

"Hm, well the others won't be happy, and I'm sure Bete will have a few words to say about it, but as long as it doesn't negatively affect the familia and you're responsible about it, there's not really a problem if you decide to pursue this."

Riveria did not fail to notice the suggestion in his words.

"I remind you that I am the oldest person in this room, Finn Deimne, and I do not need a lecture in responsibility," she said indignantly.

"That would have a lot more weight to it if you hadn't been acting like a schoolgirl the last few hours."

Riveria's blush grew as Gareth laughed.

"Ah leave her alone Finn. This whole thing has, no doubt, been quite the ordeal. Achilles is a good man, but he isn't known for making things easier for anyone."

"No. No he is not," Riveria agreed, allowing herself the smallest of smiles.

"Well, while I'd love to tease you more about it, I guess that's all there really is to say on the matter. Though I suppose Gareth and I are going to have to go and have a talk with him about treating our favorite elf right."

"Don't. You. Dare."

Gareth laughed again just before a knock came at the door.

"Come in," Finn called, curious as to who it could be.

Lefiya entered out of breath.

"Lefiya? What's going on?" he asked.

"There-," she took a breath. "There's been an attack."

* * *

The Hestia familia, plus one made their way up the last of the stairs that led out of the Dungeon, carrying quite the load. Overall, the day had been a successful one, even if everything that had happened had left them more concerned than elated. They had collected the Goliath stone, the Rivira citizens being kind enough to break it into smaller pieces for a 'small' price. Still, they're minds were in quite the state as a thousand and one things went through each of their minds. But things only got worse when, upon exiting the Dungeon, they found Eina standing before them looking extremely anxious.

"Eina-san?" Bell called.

Her head snapped to him.

"Bell!" she cried and ran up to them. "Thank goodness you're okay."

"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked, confused.

"Miach familia was attacked."

Everyone's eyes widened.

"What?!" Bell cried in alarm.

"It only happened a short time ago. No one's sure who attacked them or why, but the city is in a panic."

"I have an idea who and why," Achilles growled.

"Who?" Bell asked. His father's response was to stare him directly in the eye. That was all that Bell needed and his eyes turned cold and his fists bled white. "Oh."

"Haruhime. Lili. Welf. Mikoto. Ryuu. Head to the Guild and drop off the stones, then immediately go home, preferable with a Guild escort," Achilles ordered.

"What? Why?!" Lili demanded. "Where are you and Bell-sama going?"

"We will go to Miach's and secure the area."

"And why aren't we coming?!" Welf demanded.

"Because taking along all these magic stones will only slow us down. Added onto that, if you manage to get home, Hestia can update your statuses which, in your case Ryuu, will be a major boon with what I suspect will be a level up. You'll take the lead of everyone else and make sure they get back safely. Once you've all returned home, you'll need to decide on a plan of action. Whether to join up with us, regroup with the other familia or to batten down the hatches. I'll leave that up to your judgment."

"You aren't our captain and we won't abandon Bell-sama!" Lili screamed.

"Everyone," they all turned to Bell. "Do as he says."

"But...Bell-sama," the prum lady said, her eyes begging him not to push them away.

"We need to play this as smart as we can, but we also can't abandon Miach familia. Dad and I will go and protect them. Once they're safe, we'll head straight back home."

"Do you promise?" Lili asked, her eyes pleading with him.

He smiled at her.

"I promise."

Not happy, but at least placated, Lili took a deep breath and nodded.

"Fine."

The others looked equally apprehensive about the situation, but if Lili was willing to concede, then they could too.

"Alright. We'll drop off the stones then immediately book it for home and inform Hestia-sama of the situation," Welf said.

"We'll also send a message to the other familia," Mikoto added.

Achilles and Bell nodded, looking at the two remaining members of Hestia familia. Haruhime was still greatly concerned but, after catching Bell's eyes, she nodded as well, trusting him wholeheartedly. Finally came Ryuu.

"I will not fail," she vowed.

The two captains nodded.

"We know," Bell said. "Eina-san." She turned to him. "Would you please escort my familia back to the Guild then provide them an escort back to our manor? We'll pay whatever we need to.

"No payment will be necessary. I'll arrange for it as quickly as possible," she said.

"Thank you," Bell replied. He turned to his father. "Let's go."

"Right," Achilles grabbed him and threw him onto his back. "Hold on tight, I'm faster than Aiz and I don't plan on making this a brisk walk in the park," he said.

Bell tightened his arms and put his head down as his father began to chant.

"Make me faster than even the gods. Lightning Steps!"

A second later, the two shot off into the sky in the direction of Miach familia's shop.

"_Please be safe,"_ every member of the Hestia familia thought as they watched the two fly away.

* * *

The two landed in front of the Miach store with Bell immediately displaying his horror and Achilles's eyes lowering in unquestionable anger.

The store was utterly destroyed. The glass was shattered, the door battered into splinters, and every item within the store obliterated, from potions to lamps. It also appeared that the attackers had attempted to set a fire as scorch marks were present on the walls.

A crowd had appeared around the shop, and Guild officials alongside members of Ganesha familia were attempting to control the situation.

"Hey, you can't be here!" one of the Guild employees shouted at Achilles and Bell.

Achilles turned his glare to the official, freezing them in place, and was about to respond when a familiar voice called out.

"Achilles-san? Bell-san?"

They all turned to see Shakti approaching them.

"Shakti-san," Achilles said, some of the tension leaving his body. "I'm glad to see you here."

"But why are you two here?" she asked.

"The Miach familia are our allies and friends, it's only natural that we came running," he answered.

"Are they alright?!" Bell cut in, not able to restrain himself any longer.

Shakti turned to him and sighed.

"I wouldn't use that word to describe them. But, they're alive and our healers are healing them over there," she said, pointing towards where their friends were.

Bell immediately ran off to go check on them, allowing Shakti to turn back to Achilles.

"It was-."

"We know who it was," he said firmly. Then, with a voice colder than arctic snow he said. "And we'll deal with them shortly."

Despite being a level five captain and veteran of Orario, Shakti could not help the shiver that went up her spine at that.

Bell ran towards where Shakti had points and a few moments later, found the Miach familia. The moment he did, he froze.

Cassandra and Daphne were beaten up, but nothing too serious, though Bell wasn't sure if that was because of the healers or luck. However, Naaza was much worse. Not only did she have bandages all over her, including a bloody one wrapped around her head, but he could not fail to notice that her silver arm was missing. Next to her, holding her hand, was Miach who, luckily, appeared uninjured.

"Naaza-san," Bell said, barely able to form the words.

The canine girl heard him and turned her eyes to him.

"Bell-san."

This caught the attention of the rest of Miach familia who turned to him.

"Evening, Bell-san," Miach said, his voice filled with concern he felt.

"Miach-sama," a wave of guilt crashed into Bell and he bowed. "I so sor-."

"No Bell."

Bell looked up, though he remained bowed before them.

"You do not know need to apologize. This wasn't your fault," the god stated.

"But it was because of what I-."

"No. No it wasn't. This was done by brutes who lack civility and any semblance of self-control. You did not do a thing."

Bell wanted to argue, but seeing the god's eyes, then those of his captain caused the words to get stuck in his throat. His eyes quickly shifted to Cassandra and Daphne, the first of whom quickly nodded her agreement with her god. Bell's eyes then landed on Daphne who, after staring directly into Bell's eyes for a few seconds that could have been days for all he was aware, gave him one, firm nod.

Bell knew he wasn't going to win this one, and so he accepted his defeat and stood back up.

"We'll help in anyway we can," he said.

Miach allowed himself a small smile and nodded.

"Much appreciated."

"Bell!"

Everyone turned and were surprised to find Aiz appear before them.

"Aiz-san! What are you doing here?" Bell asked.

"We heard what happened and I rushed over as quickly as I could," she said.

"I-I don't know what to say," he replied.

"Just tell me how I can help," the Sword Princess said.

In spite of the situation, Bell smiled, once more happy that he had fallen in love with the adventurer before him. Before he could respond however, several more of her familia appeared.

"Geez Aiz, don't go running off without us," Tiona said, while Tione nodded and Bete growled.

"I'm sorry," Aiz replied.

"Ah, I'm not really mad, at least not at you. The guys that did this however," she cracked her knuckles. "They're asking for a pounding."

"That they are," Achilles said, walking up to them alongside Shakti. "But we have other matters to attend to first, namely getting the Miach familia somewhere safe."

"They can stay at Twilight Manor," Aiz offered.

"No," Bell said firmly. "They should go to Hearthfire Manor. This happened because of their connection to us. It's only right they go there."

"Bell-san, I already said-," Miach tried to say.

"Miach-sama," Bell cut in. "Please."

The firm, but desperate way he said that made it impossible for the god to deny him, not that any of those present questioned his capitulation.

"Alright," he said with a nod. "We'll go to your home."

"Thank you. Aiz-san," Bell said, turning to the girl who held his heart in her unknowing hands. "Would you and the rest of Loki familia please escort they to our home?"

"Of course," Aiz answered immediately, though she and the other could not help but notice the way he said that. "Are you not coming?" she asked.

"The rest of my familia went to the Guild with Eina-san. We need to go make sure they got their safely."

Everyone noticed that there was something off about the way that Bell said that. Something that didn't seem to fit. Indeed, to all of them, it sounded like a lie.

"_But he wouldn't lie. Would he?" _Aiz asked.

"Alright," she said, not being able to accept the idea of him lying. "We'll meet you at Hearthfire Manor."

"Thank you," Bell said with a smile. "We'll see you soon."

Aiz, Tiona, Tione, and Shakti all walked over to the Miach familia to explain the situation. Bete, however, stayed behind just long enough to say one thing.

"Don't get yourself killed, rabbit."

Bell met his eyes and gave him a nod.

"I won't."

The wolf man nodded in turn and walked away without another word, leaving behind Achilles and Bell.

"You promised that once the Miach familia was safe we would return to the others," his father pointed out.

"I did, and the best way to ensure they're safe is to make sure the ones who attacked them don't attack them again," Bell said, his voice unnaturally dark for the cheerful young man.

"I see," Achilles replied. "And I agree. Though we'd best be prepared for the punishment the others are sure to give us for lying."

"If it means that everyone's safe, I'll take whatever they can throw at us."

Achilles smiled down at his son proudly.

"Alright. Let's go teach her some decency."

Both their eyes pointed towards the Tower of Babel where they knew a certain goddess was looking down on the two of them, awaiting their arrival.

* * *

Freya patiently sipped her wine as she waited for her dearly beloved guests to arrive. Not that she would have to wait long for them to arrive.

The sound of bells ringing outside her door was the only warning she and the members of her familia currently with her were given before the doors were blown open by the enraged Firebolt of Bell Cranel.

She turned around with a smile.

"You two do know how to make an entrance," she said in her usual calm, seductive manner, even as the officers of her familia all took up defensive positions around their goddess. The only exception was Ottar who stood in his normal place right beside Freya.

Bell and Achilles walked into the room, weapons drawn and staring directly at the goddess with nothing but utter contempt.

"Explain yourself. Now," Achilles demanded, his teeth practically causing sparks as they grinded together.

Freya stared into the raging infernos that were her beloveds' eyes at the moment, and though it gave her the most pleasant of tingles up her spine at seeing their strength, she decided that antagonizing them would not be the best play at the moment.

"Several members of my familia attacked the Miach familia and destroyed their shop," she admitted readily enough. "They did so without my orders, indeed going against my explicit instructions not to harm either of you or anyone connected to you."

"Don't you dare lie," Bell stated, his eyes burning even more terribly than before.

Freya shivered.

"_To think he could look at me like that. Such fire. Such power. If only if was under better circumstances."_

"I'm not lying, Bell-kun," she swore. "After the party I thought a great deal on how best to win both of you to my side-."

"You won't," Bell cut in. This earned him several glares and growls from the Freya familia, but a quick glare from Achilles warned them of the foolishness of any action against the young captain. Freya, naturally, was unaffected. Her Bell-kun was angry, she understood that and did not begrudge him that. His loyalty and protectiveness were two of the aspects that had made him so strong, so seeing them come forth was neither surprising nor displeasing.

"The best prizes in life are not easily won," she replied simply.

Now it was Achilles's whose eyes turned more ferocious as the words she had chosen, intentionally or otherwise, hit a nerve.

"That said, I swear that I did not order the attack on the Miach familia. Indeed, to show that I am being honest, I will swear to you both that by noon tomorrow, not only will I have personally punished the offenders, but I will have, ready for your collection, all the money necessary to rebuild the Miach familia shop twice over. I will also have the offenders clean up the mess they created. All of this I swear on my honor as a goddess, the head of my familia, and a woman."

Things were silent for some time. Both Bell and Achilles continued to glare at Freya, who simply continued to smile, knowing that her offer, even if genuine, would not be easily accepted. They had come prepared for a battle, and truth be told, she actually hoped that one would still occur.

"_Who would win? The leaders of the most powerful familia in the world, defending their goddess, or the invincible father-son pair burning with justice-seeking rage?"_ she asked herself, the thought of which nearly bringing her over the edge as she subtly bit her lip to prevent herself from crying out.

Finally, Bell made his reply.

"Noon tomorrow."

Slightly disappointed, but still reveling in all that she was witnessing, Freya nodded.

"Not a minute later."

Bell stared into her eyes a moment longer before finally turning away.

"We'll be back then," he said before beginning to walk away.

Freya, now devoid of the eyes of her younger love, turned to the elder of the objects of her affections, whose eyes were still just as fiery as before.

"We won't tolerate any tricks, Freya," he stated before he too turned to leave, following after his son without so much as a glance back.

Freya watched them go with an unwavering smile.

"Oh, but Achilles, tricks are so much fun," she said, loud enough only for herself to hear.

* * *

Achilles and Bell stood before the gate of Hearthfire Manor, both knowing what was to come.

"You ready?" Achilles asked.

"Yeah," Bell replied readily.

"Alright."

The two walked through the gates and entered the mansion.

"I'm home, Hestia-sama," Bell called.

The sound of rushing met their ears and a moment later the goddess of the household appeared before them.

Bell felt his heart squeeze painfully in his chest.

She was crying. Tears streamed down her face, eyes red, and her hair was a mess. Even so, she held within her eyes an anger, disappointment, and terror that made the two men desperate to look away. But they didn't. They couldn't. They didn't deserve to.

"You lied," she said, her voice shaking to the point of near collapse.

"I did," Bell conceded immediately.

That did nothing to calm Hestia as the anger within her roared forth.

"Why Bell!? Why!?" she demanded.

"We needed to confront Freya."

"You need to confront…" Hestia's knuckles, had they not been covered by gloves, would have appeared bone white to the two adventurers after hearing that. "You needed to come home!" she screamed. "You needed to be safe! You needed to be with your familia! With me!"

"I'm sorry, Hestia-sama, but I thought that this was the best way to protect you all."

"You thought…?" Hestia looked ready to burst. Unable to hold it anymore, she ran up to him and began beating on his chest with her fists. "You are forbidden from thinking ever again! You will just do what you're told! And you!" she turned to Achilles. "You should have prevented this!"

"I would have had I thought it was not the right thing to do. As things were and are, I do think it was the right thing to do," Achilles answered calmly.

"You thought…?! Ah!" she screamed again. "Like father like son! Or like son...like...father...ah!"

"Hestia, please."

The three turned to find that it was Miach who had called out to the now raging goddess. However, he was not alone. Not only was the Hestia familia present, all of whom currently looking at the two captains with hurt, angry eyes, but the Loki, Hephaestus, Ganesha and Takemikazuchi familia were also present, looking at the two with some level of disappointment if not outright anger. The only ones present that did not appear as such were the Miach familia who felt that the current situation was their fault, and thus shifted no blame to the two captains.

"No Miach," Hestia quickly said. "These two broke their promise not to lie and did so in such a way that put them in danger, they have to be punished!" she declared.

Miach looked like he wanted to argue with this, but Bell quickly spoke again.

"I accept whatever punishment you see fit to give me, Hestia-sama," Bell said, bowing.

"As do I," Achilles added, also bowing.

The sight of the two bowing before her only made Hestia's fury boil all the more as she knew what their submission meant. It meant they knew they had done something wrong and yet had done it anyway.

"Good. Then there will be no complaints," the loli goddess said, shooting Miach a glare. Said god quickly backed down, knowing his efforts were pointless now. "Well," Hestia continued. "If you two are going to be punished then I need you to get on your knees, Achilles."

That gained the curiosity and interest of all present, but Achilles did as she ordered without a word.

"Good. Now."

A crack echoed through the hall.

A nice red mark appeared on Achilles cheek, courtesy of Hestia's slap.

"Now Bell," she said.

Another crack resounded through the hall, but Hestia was so angry at her captain that a single slap would simply not do, so she struck him again, this time on the other cheek.

"Now," she said again, her hands on her hips as she stared at their red cheeks. "You two are going to stay right there and let everyone, and I do mean everyone, slap you for lying and for the pain you've caused us. Am I understood?"

"Hestia," now it was Takemikazuchi who jumped in. "That seems a bit-."

"We understand," Bell and Achilles answered simultaneously.

A few looks of surprise passed amongst those present, but a look of triumph was the only thing present on Hestia's face.

"Good. Then we'll start with my familia."

Despite the absurdity of the situation, people soon found themselves lining up with Lili being the first after Hestia.

She went up to Achilles first, striking him twice, once on both cheeks, before turning her real rage at Bell.

"You lied!" she cried as she struck him. "You promised you'd come straight home!" another slap. "Why Bell-sama?! Why?!" she began beating on his chest and crying.

Achilles could practically feel how badly his son wanted to wrap his arms around the prum girl, apologize, and beg not only her forgiveness, but for her to stop crying. But he didn't. Now wasn't the time. Now was the time for him to receive his punishment.

Next came Ryuu who said nothing, only glared down at the two before giving them both a single strike and moving on to allow Welf to come up. He decided to return the head chop Bell had given him the last time lies had been uncovered, and gave Achilles a solid punch to the chest. Mikoto was next and her hand soon cracked against both their cheeks, though it was very clearly at least somewhat restrained. Finally came Haruhime who walked up to them looking very uncomfortable.

"Go on Haruhime. Give 'em a good whack!" Hestia beckoned.

"I-I...I can't," she said.

"Yes you can! And you will. This is their punishment," Hestia ordered.

"Haruhime."

The renard turned to Achilles who looked her in the eye.

"It's okay."

In a way that made it worse for the poor girl, but the encouragement was enough for her to be able to accomplish the task and slap the ex-captain, though one might have more accurately called it a gentle caress. She then turned to Bell who also looked her in the eye and, with a nod, told her the same as his father. A terrible sense of self-loathing filled Haruhime as she realized what she was about to do, but she managed to reached her hand up and strike the white rabbit, only to immediately wrap her arms around him and begin apologizing.

Ryuu and Welf quickly pulled her off before Hestia got too mad, but the heartbroken look on the renard's face was enough to prevent any punishment even had they not.

"Next!" Hestia ordered.

Now it was the Loki familia who came to the forefront with, of all people, Bete, leading the way. Even more interestingly, he went to Bell first. He raised his fist, and just as everyone was expecting him to take this chance to punch Bell, he slowly lowered it and firmly, but not painfully, punched his shoulder.

"Knucklehead," he said.

Bell was surprised, but seeing the look that Bete gave him, he allowed himself a small smile, and a nod of respect.

The wolf returned the gesture before turning to Achilles and proceeding to sucker punch him square in the jaw.

"Been waiting to do that for a long time," he said.

Achilles barely held in a growl as he resituated himself and checked to make sure his jaw wasn't dislocated.

Next up was Tiona who, following Bete's example, gave both men such a slap to the face that they were both checking to make sure nothing was cracked or dislocated. They should have waited to do this as, right after, Tione followed and proceeding to do just as her sister had done.

"_Amazons,"_ Achilles thought as he prayed his brain hadn't smashed against his skull.

Next was Gareth, who promptly knocked his fist against both of their heads, causing Achilles to groan out another mental complaint.

"_She said slap."_

Finn approached and proceeded to aggravate Achilles more as he flicked the two captains on the forehead with a force greater than the two Amazons' slaps, which in turn caused them both to lose their composure and grabbed their foreheads.

Lefiya followed her captain, slapping both the men twice, though no one failed to notice that she seemed extra vigorous when it came to Bell.

Loki was next and, after making some excuse about not wanting to break a nail, she poured wine on top of both their heads, quickly stating that it wasn't any good anyway.

Finally came the person Bell had been waiting for. Aiz.

The Sword Princess walked right passed Achilles as she had only one person she wished to confront at the moment.

"You lied," she said simply.

"I did."

The two stared at each other for a moment, long enough for the ladies of Hestia familia to begin to broil, when Aiz grabbed her sword.

Achilles had been ready to take whatever punishment Hestia had seen fit to give, but there was a limit, and seeing Aiz reach for her sword immediately pushed passed that limit and caused him to reach for his own blade.

Everyone tensed as she pulled out her weapon and more than a few noticed that Achilles's hand was gripping his, ready to step in if she dared to use the blade. However, she proceeded to walk over to the wall, put the weapon down, and instead grabbed her scabbard. Then, before anyone could realize what she was doing, she cracked Bell on the top of the head.

The blow sent Bell to his knees as he grabbed his now aching head.

"You will not do it again," she said firmly.

There was something in the way she said that that, in turn, made Bell only able to nod.

Satisfied, Aiz turned away and grabbed her sword.

"Well, I suppose I must balance things out," Riveria said, stepping forward.

She walked over to Achilles and their eyes met.

"I'm not as physically strong as the others, so I'm going to have to mix it up a bit to give you the proper amount of punishment."

Before anyone could ask what they meant, she began to chant. It wasn't long before Achilles's eyes narrowed and his shoulders slumped.

"I know that spell."

"Don't worry," she said with a smile. "I'll make sure it's not strong enough to do any real damage."

Achilles closed his eyes as she reached her hand up. The hand then came down and, to the shock of everyone, an explosion rocked the room and sent Achilles flying a few feet to the side.

"Ow," he said.

"There," Riveria said. "That should do it."

"_A little bit of revenge for the embarrassment you caused me today,"_ she thought, knowing this was an excuse to vent a bit, but not caring all that much. He could take it after all. It was one of the things she loved about him.

Everyone watched her rejoin her familia with wide eyes, accept for Achilles, who was too busy reconnecting what he now knew for certainty, was a dislocated jaw, and probably some hairline fractures.

The Takemikazuchi and Hephaestus familia followed. Luckily for Bell and Achilles, Hephaestus had only brought Tsubaki, so two slaps from the powerful ladies was all that was necessary. The same was true of Ganesha, as he had only brought Shakti. The captain had readily punished the two, along with Eina who had done as requested and escorted the Hestia familia home, but it was only after facing the terrifying rage of Hestia that Ganesha submitted, feeling, initially, that it went against his nature as the god of the masses to strike the two. But one glare from the goddess of the Hearth and he'd submitted. The Miach familia also politely declined to take part, no matter how much Hestia ordered them to, as it just didn't sit well with them given all that had happened. And so, with cheeks so burning hot you could have seen them in the dark, as well a number of other injuries that the two would need looked at, the punishment was over.

"Alright," Hestia said. "You've been punished and I everyone seems satisfied." A few nods were all the confirmation she needed. "Now tell us what happened with Freya,"

"May I humbly request we be healed before we begin talking?" Achilles asked, the pain in his jaw still very much present.

Hestia consented and Riveria and Cassandra proceeded to heal the two, Riveria smiling at the glare she was receiving from Achilles.

"_That was totally unnecessary,"_ his eyes growled at her.

"_I know," _hers playfully responded.

With the two all healed up, they took their place on the couch in the adjacent room and began to tell them what happened.

"After we separated from the others we headed straight for Freya. Both of us could sense that she was in her room at the top of Babel," Achilles began. "As we made our way to the top, Bell's Argonaut skill began to ring and so he," Achilles couldn't help but smile here. "Decided to make a proper entrance."

"How?" Hestia asked, not failing to notice the smile.

"I shot an enhanced Firebolt at her door," the rabbit-like captain responded.

Everyone was silent for a moment, being able to do no more than blink a few times.

"O~~kay," Loki finally said. "Can't imagine her kiddies liked that much."

"They didn't, but we didn't care," Achilles stated.

A few sighs passed through the room, but Hestia pressed on.

"Then what happened."

"We demanded answers," the ex-captain said. "Freya readily confessed that it was members of her familia that attacked Miach's shop." More than one pair of eyes lowered into a glare at this. "But she swore, not only that she hadn't ordered the attack, but that they had gone explicitly against her orders."

"Bullshit," Loki said.

"We thought so too," Bell entered. "But, to show her good intentions, she promised not only to punish the members herself, but also to have compensation for Miach-sama ready by noon tomorrow and to have the ones responsible clean up the mess."

That gave everyone pause.

"Do you think she'll make good on that?" Hestia asked.

"Surprising...yes," Achilles answered.

Everyone was quiet again for a moment as they contemplated that.

"Then," Miach spoke up. "What do you think she's planning? Why did she attack our shop?"

They all looked at Achilles expectantly, unfortunately he could only shrug.

"I don't know. In a way, this situation is more complicated they I care to admit. Yes, this is Freya and it's far more than likely this is a part of some plan of hers. However, given the widely known infatuation Freya's children have for her, it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility that they did, indeed, act on their own. It's at least plausible enough that we can't just point the finger and say that she's the one behind it."

"But you do think she is behind it?" Hephaestus asked.

"Either that or she knew about it and decided not to stop it, at least that's my guess," he replied. "Towards what end, I can't say specifically, broadly though I can certainly make a guess."

Everyone nodded, knowing what he meant.

"So what do we do?" Hestia questioned.

"The only thing we can do. We go tomorrow and see if she keeps her word," he said.

"There's nothing else?" Naaza asked.

Achilles sighed.

"Not unless we want to fulfill what half the city is afraid of happening and start a war in the streets," he stated honestly, though it pained him that he couldn't give her a better answer.

No one liked that idea, but that didn't make things any better as they were forced to swallow what they were sure was some part of Freya's plan.

"Then tomorrow, the three of us are all going to collect what Freya promised tomorrow," Hestia finally declared.

"You're coming, Hestia-sama?" Bell asked.

"Of course! There's no way that I'm leaving you two alone with her again. With me there it'll be harder for her to try and pull something."

Achilles nodded.

"That seems fair."

"Good. Then it's settled. Tomorrow, Bell-kun, Achilles, and I will all go to the Tower of Babel and collect from Freya. If we're not back quickly, you'll all know something's happened."

"In which case, what?" Loki asked, though she already knew.

"In which case, what Orario's been fearing since the party will have begun," Achilles put bluntly.

Everyone nodded solemnly, hoping it wouldn't come to that.

"Alright, with that out of the way, I think we all need some rest," Hestia said.

"That sounds wise," Miach agreed.

"Indeed. It's been quite the eventful day," Achilles added.

"Haruhime, would you mind showing the Miach familia to the spare bedrooms?" Hestia asked.

"Of course, Hestia-sama," the renard readily replied.

"Thank you, Hestia. For everything," Miach said with a bow.

"Oh stop that. We're friends. This is what friends do," she replied with a wave of her hand.

He smiled then joined his familia as Haruhime escorted them towards their rooms.

Achilles took this as his sign to get up and he proceeded to make his way out of the room and upstairs where his own bed was waiting. Just before he reached his door, Bell called out to him.

"Dad."

He turned and gave his son a tired smile.

"What is it, Bell?"

"Shouldn't we have told Loki familia about what happened in the Dungeon? With that Enyo person?"

"Perhaps. But I figured that everyone had enough on their minds at the moment. I'll talk to them at the nearest possible moment, hopefully tomorrow, after all this is over."

Bell saw the logic in that and nodded.

"Alright."

Achilles, seeing the maturity of his newly minted son, gently stroked his head.

"You really are something, Bell. Few would have been able to handle what you did today with the grace and dignity you showed. I am very proud of you."

Bell blushed lightly, but smiled nonetheless.

"Thanks Dad."

Achilles brought him into a hug and held him for a moment, reveling in the relationship he had formed with the young adventurer and happy that he'd been so lucky.

Bell was thinking much the same. He'd never had a father figure in his life, the closest being his grandfather, naturally, and to now have one in his life was something he would always be thankful for.

"Good night Bell," Achilles said, pulling back.

"Good night Dad."

The two parted and made their way to their respective rooms, neither knowing that Haruhime was watching from just down the hall, smiling at the display she had been allowed to witness.

* * *

Hestia, Bell, and Achilles stood at the entrance to Hearthfire Manor, ready to confront Freya in the Tower of Babel. The rest of Hestia familia, along with their allied familia were before them, all of them trying their best not to seem nervous for what was to come.

"We're heading out," Hestia said to all those gathered.

"If anything happens, just send us a sign and we'll come running," Hephaestus said.

"I'm sure we can manage that," Achilles said.

"Good," the smith goddess replied.

"Well, as much as I'd like to keep that perverted goddess waiting, I don't want Miach's shop to be in its current state for a moment longer than it needs to be, so let's get going!" the goddess of the hearth declared.

The three left and began the trek towards the Tower of Babel, each desperately hoping they weren't walking into a trap.

The walk there was unnaturally quiet and each of them noticed that they were receiving looks. However, unlike the ones Bell had received the day before, these were filled with a far greater degree of worry and fear.

"The entire city's on edge," Achilles said.

"I can imagine why. If Freya decides to, the whole city could be dragged into a conflict not of their making. She's already shown she's willing to go to war and now everyone knows why," Hestia stated.

"It won't come to that," Bell said, his voice firm and unwavering.

The two turned to him and, after quickly sharing a look, smiled.

"Well, if you're saying it won't, then it won't," Achilles said.

The three made it to the Tower of Babel and began their trek up. Just like outside, those they passed looked at them with nervous eyes, and Achilles noted that there were fewer adventurers about. Perhaps their deity had called them back in case things spilled over or perhaps they were just afraid, it didn't really matter, he simply hoped that by the end of the day their fear would be deemed unnecessary.

Finally they reached the top of Babel where the doors that had been blow open had already been replaced and were now guarded by the two elves that helped make up Freya's highest officers.

"Our lady is waiting for you," the blonde elf stated.

"You will be on your best behavior," the dark elf warned.

Achilles was about to bite back with a snarky reply, but was surprised when Bell beat him to it.

"No promises."

Hestia was clearly surprised, but whatever surprise the elves may have carried was easily overshadowed by their anger at his blatant disrespect. Still, this was their mistress's beloved, and thus they could do nothing but push open the doors and let them in.

The three entered and were immediately greeted by the sight of Freya standing before them, smiling, with numerous chests before her.

"Welcome," she greeted. "As promised, the compensation for Miach's shop and," she waved her hand. A moment later a group of adventurers walked forward, their heads bowed. "The adventurers responsible."

Hestia, Bell, and Achilles all eyed the adventurers, attempting to gauge if this was some sort of trick. However, none of them would even so much as raise their head and they remained utterly motionless. Not getting anything from them, Achilles walked over towards the chests, bringing him closer to Freya, who smiled more brightly at his approach. He spared her barely more than a glance before he opened the chest and found them each filled with valis. He was silent for a moment, acting as if he was counting to make sure she hadn't jipped them. But he already knew it was all there and that Freya would not react to his not so subtle way of calling her a liar. Even so, if he managed to piss off her familia a bit, he'd feel a bit better about the situation.

"This should do it," he finally said to Hestia.

The goddess of the sacred fire nodded.

"Good. Then we'll be taking the valis and those adventurers with us," she said.

"Of course," Freya replied, still smiling. "They shall clean up the mess they made and, with any luck, Miach's shop will be back within a few weeks, and better than ever," she then looked over her shoulder and Allen walked forward. "Allen will accompany you and watch over them to ensure they do as I have ordered to the letter. If their actions are in any way unsatisfactory, simply inform Allen and he will pass the message to me and I shall punish them again for their failure to atone."

"_Why is it Allen? Where's Ottar?" _Achilles asked himself.

Hestia nodded.

"Thank you. We will do so, if necessary," Hestia said.

"I hope you do. If my familia where to fail in simply cleaning up their own messes I would be deeply ashamed."

"We won't fail you, Freya-sama!" one of the adventurers suddenly declared.

"We will never bring shame to you, Freya-sama!" another declared.

"We would rather die!"

Freya's smile grew.

"You see? They'll do exactly as they are told," she said.

Not keen only allowing things to end on her terms, Achilles walked over the adventurers, his eyes boring down on them with such ferocity that they could not help but look up.

"_We_ will be the ones to determine if you succeed or fail," he stated, his voice leaving no room for argument.

Freya brought a hand up to cover her growing smile.

"_Oh Achilles, I love it when you're like that."_

* * *

Achilles had been watching the clean up like a hawk for the last few hours, his eyes warily checking for any suspicious actions. However, there had been none. The adventurers had been doing what Freya had said they would. Cleaning up the shop they had destroyed.

Of course, he wasn't the only one suspicious. The moment they had left the Tower, they had found the rest of Hestia familia and all their allied familia waiting for them outside. After they had explained the situation they had all lost a great deal of the tension they were carrying, but Miach familia, namely Daphne and Naaza, had been glaring at the Freya adventurers the entire time and even now, as the mess was being cleaned up, still refused to look at the Freya adventurer's with anything but contempt.

Almost everyone else had left after Hestia had explained the situation, happy things hadn't devolved into a fight and ready to get back to something akin to a regular day. The only one who had remained was, interestingly enough, Aiz, who had volunteered to stay just in case. Hestia had protested this, but she had been quickly shut down by the other gods who pointed out her jealousy was no reason to prevent extra security. Begrudgingly, the loli goddess had accepted, though she had ordered that Bell not flirt, much to Aiz's confusion and Bell's embarrassment.

Of course, Hestia's order had gone completely ignored. While the two weren't flirting per say, Achilles could not have failed to notice that they stayed close to each other the entire time they were watching the clean up and that the only time they turned away from it was when they were focusing on each other.

"_Your girl is undoubtedly in the lead, Riveria, but I know she hasn't given up on the Dragon yet, she's just found a limit to her hatred. Besides, with Bell's recent revelation, there's no way my girl's out of the race yet, all she needs is a little confidence and she start closing the gap, of that I'm sure."_

Turning away from the affection and fluff that the two youngsters were giving off, he focused on something much less smile-inducing.

Allen stared at Bell and Aiz with unrestrained disgust.

"_Why my lady holds him in such high regard I will never understand. Yet, in spite of having her heart, he pines after the Sword Princess. The moment my lady loses interest in him I will punish him severely for his transgression."_

"Jealous?"

Allen turned, displeased, not only to find someone had snuck up on him, but on discovering who it was.

"I should rip out your tongue for such an insult," the catman said.

"And here I thought I taught you a lesson in modesty not too long ago," Achilles replied.

Allen growled, remembering his humiliation.

"You got lucky."

"I was weakened. Greatly so, thanks to your mistress. If I could slam your head into the ground in that state then there's no hope of you ever beating me," the Olympian countered.

Allen growled as the grip on his spear tightened.

"Is there something you wanted?"

"Where's Ottar?"

Allen snorted.

"He has other business to attend to."

"And that business is?"

Allen let out a single chuckle.

"You might be able to kill me, Olympian, but you can't make me talk."

Achilles stared down at his smiling face for a moment, before leaning in so that they were mere inches apart.

"You do not want to tempt me to try...boy."

* * *

Haruhime walked through the streets of Orario with easy steps.

This morning had been so stressful and everyone had been afraid of what was to come, and yet, their worry had been for naught. Freya had done as she said she would and even now, the Miach store was being cleaned up and soon would be repaired better than ever.

With the fear of a war in the streets no longer looming over their heads, she had headed out to collect groceries to refill their pantry. She decided that she would make something extra special tonight to ease away the rest of everyone's worries. This, however, was not to be.

"Sanjouno Haruhime."

She stopped. She would recognize that voice anywhere.

Slowly, she turned.

"O-Ottar-sama," she said, barely managing to get out her voice.

"Please come with me. My lady wishes to speak with you."

"W-With me? W-Why?"

"You will find out shortly. Come."

Nothing about his voice was threatening, then again it didn't need to be. This was Ottar. The 'King' of Orario. He could take her as easily as a child picks a flower. She had to go with him, no matter how much she desperately wished not to.

She began to follow.

The captain of Freya familia evidently knew ways of getting around the city unseen as they moved through paths that Haruhime had never passed through before and not once did it seem they were even at risk of being detected by the many people now moving about the city. In a way, she found herself impressed by this. Here was one of the most powerful people in the city, perhaps even the most powerful, Achilles being the only other potential candidate for that position, moving about completely undetected. If nothing else, his enormous size should have garnered attention, but he never did.

"_I suppose it take more than brute strength to become the most powerful in Orario,"_ she recognized.

Finally, they stopped in front of what Haruhime immediately recognized as the home of the Freya familia.

"_We made it all the way here undetected?"_ Even if she had just conceded Ottar's skill, it was still as impressive as it was disquieting.

The two made their way inside and began to triverse the halls. She found herself increasing nervous as, no matter how long they walked, not a single member of Freya familia passed them by. It was as if the whole mansion was abandoned.

"Um..excuse me...Ottar-sama but...where is everyone?"

"Training."

Something about the way he said that made the hair on her tail stand on end.

After walking for longer than Haruhime knew, they arrived at an elaborately decorated door. It wasn't the door to the ballroom, and it seemed too small to be something like a throne room. She wasn't allowed to contemplate for long as Ottar knocked on the door. Not a moment later, the unmistakable voice of his goddess answered.

"Come in you two."

Ottar opened the door and Haruhime obediently followed.

Upon entering, Haruhime realized that this room was neither a ballroom nor a throne room. Instead, it was a bedroom. More importantly, given the luxurious bed that look more comfortable than anything she'd ever seen, the beautiful art arrayed across the walls, the silken curtains, the shelves of books, and the presence of the goddess herself, Haruhime realized that this was Freya's personal bedroom.

Freya was standing before a table with what looked like a bowl in front of her. Haruhime wondered what was in the bowl when the goddess called out to her.

"Sanjouno Haruhime."

The renard jumped, which caused Freya to laugh.

"No need to be so jumpy my dear, I only wish to talk to you," she said as Ottar took his place beside her.

"F-Forgive me, Freya-sama, but I have a hard time believing that. After everything that's happened, I am not sure that it is possible for you to 'only talk' with anyone," Haruhime replied, making sure not to look at Freya.

Freya's smile grew.

"You're not a fool. That's good. Bell-kun shouldn't be surrounded by fools. And you're correct, this isn't a simple social gathering."

Haruhime tensed. She was not the one holding the power here, but that didn't mean she wouldn't do her best to protect Bell from the woman before her.

"I assume this has something to do with Bell-sama."

"Correct again. I knew there was something I liked about you."

Freya walked over Haruhime and placed herself right before the girl. The eastern lady was almost hyperventilating and her terror was reaching a boiling point. Freya knew this and was content to simply stand before her for a moment. But only a moment. After staring down at the terrified fox girl, she grabbed Haruhime's chin and forced her to look up into her eyes.

Haruhime's heart stopped as she looked directly in Freya's eyes.

"_Please no,"_ she begged.

Freya smiled at her.

"Don't worry my dear, I'm not going to Charm you, though you certainly would make a beautiful addition to my familia. Then again, I'm not even sure I could Charm you. Given Bell's immunity and Achilles's resistance I'm beginning to doubt my ability to turn people."

"T-T-Then w-what do you want?" Haruhime asked.

Freya's smile grew and she leaned down until their lips were almost touching, once more filling Haruhime with fear as she begged for her first kiss not to be taken by someone other than Bell. But Freya did not kiss her.

"I want to know why my dear Achilles thinks you're the perfect person for my Bell-kun."

"W-What?" Haruhime barely managed to squeeze out.

Freya's eyes gained a predatory gleam.

"What makes you perfect for my Bell, Sanjouno Haruhime? What am I missing that you have?"

Haruhime was frozen. Freya had expected that. The girl was clearly afraid, which she actually found quite enjoyable. The power she had over the mortal was its own kind of intoxication. That said, she still wanted to answer. A real answer. A 'I don't know' would not suffice here. This girl would give her an answer and she would not leave until Freya was satisfied.

"Come now, Haruhime. Certainly Achilles told you why he wanted you and Bell to come together, didn't he?"

That's when, for a reason that Freya could not explain, everything changed.

To Freya's legitimate surprise, the girl's frightened gaze suddenly changed. First it shifted into something akin to realization and then, to Freya's actual shock, the girl's gaze turned hard as she broke away from Freya's grip and backed away a step.

"You wish to know why Achilles thinks I and Bell belong together?" she asked.

The firm, resolute tone took Freya aback, and yet intrigued her greatly.

"Yes. More now than ever," she said, her voice beginning to tingle with anticipation.

"Kindness."

A single perfect brow raised on the goddess's face.

"Kindness?"

"Yes," Haruhime said, her voice losing none of its surprising new strength. "You utterly lack kindness, compassion, gentleness, and the tenderness that men like Achilles and Bell not only need, but deserve. You can't give that to them because to you they aren't men. They aren't lovers that you wish to protect. To warm when they're cold. To comfort them when they cry or feel weak. They are but toys to you. Something to enjoy and discard when it no longer entertains you. In fact, you toy with those you claim to love, and in doing so you hurt them, like you hurt Achilles. I saw what you did to him at the party. The tears in his eyes. I do not love him in the same way I love Bell, but I love him enough to know his pain. To feel it piercing my heart. And that night, it was as if someone had ripped my heart out. You were hurting him so terribly. Tormenting him because to you, he was not Achilles, the man. The friend. The father. He was the Olympian. The legend. The idea. And then," Haruhime was quickly becoming overwhelmed by her feelings, but she could not stop. She would not stop. "Then you used your Charm. You stole who he was. The fire that makes up his soul all the while claiming that you loved him, when in truth, all you wanted to do was claim him as some sort of prize. That's not love. I don't know what it is, but I know the last thing someone who loves another would want to do is hurt them or steal away what makes them who they are and treat them as a thing. That is why Achilles believes I belong with Bell. Because I know that. Because I will never do to Bell what you did to Achilles. So do what you will, Freya-sama, but I will do what I must to protect those I love, even if that means making an enemy of you. Because they deserve someone who will treat them right and love them with all their hearts and who will not," she glared at Freya. "Use and discard them like you will."

Freya stared at Haruhime, her smile now gone and replaced with a look of curiosity.

"So you think you're worthy of Bell?"

"Yes," she answered immediately.

"More worthy than me?"

Haruhime was silent for a moment, but then, with a fire that actually caused Freya to take a step back, she answered.

"Yes."

Things were silent for a moment as the two ladies, one: the mistress of Orario's most powerful familia with a wit sharp enough to cut marble; the other: a foreign princess with a heart of the purest gold, simple stared at each other. Finally, a smile appeared on the lips of the elusive temptress.

"Oh my dear," she said as she strode back up to the renard, reached out her hand and stroked her cheek. "It's a pity I don't like to share, because you are simply delightful."

Haruhime said nothing, she simply continued to stare resolutely at the goddess. Not that Freya minded. The fire in her eyes was astounding and the only people she had ever seen with fires to match were her beloveds.

"_Perhaps there's room for a third,"_ she thought.

"Thank you for your time," Freya said. She turned and walked over to a nearby desk and pulled out a purse. "Here," she said handing it to Haruhime. "This should cover your groceries."

Haruhime looked at the purse, then back at Freya, before she grabbed it and bowed.

"Thank you."

That was the last thing she said to the goddess before she turned and left, leaving behind the pleased goddess and her stunned servant.

"Are you alright, my lady?" Ottar asked, having been concerned ever since he saw his mistress back away from the renard.

She turned and smiled at him.

"I'm fine, Ottar. That was quite something, wasn't it?"

"Indeed," he replied, his demeanor calming now that he knew his goddess was alright. "I was unaware she had just strength in her."

"As was I, but I can't say I'm disappointed, especially now that I have so much to think about."

"I'm glad to hear it, my lady. Is there anything you require of me?"

"No, that will be all. Although, I would like to ask a favor of you."

"Anything, my lady."

"Watch over that girl. It would be a shame if anything happened to her."

* * *

Haruhime did not remember going grocery shopping or returning home, yet, when she deposited the bags of produce, fresh meat, and assortment of goods down, she realized she somehow had done just that. She looked down and stared at the purse Freya had given her, now empty, courtesy of the groceries. She stared at it for a few moments, before walking over to a trash bin and throwing it away. That done, she began to work on dinner.

She worked silently, not humming as she had a tendency to do, instead focusing entirely on the task before her. She was so engrossed that it was only when she felt a hand on her shoulder that she was pulled from her thoughts.

She jumped and turned, finding a startled Bell looking at her with wide eyes.

"Bell-sama! I'm so sorry!"

"No, no, I should apologize," he quickly said.

"No, I wasn't paying attention, it's my fault."

"Well I shouldn't have scared you like that," he said, trying again to apologize.

"I should have heard you, I was too engrossed in what I was doing," she replied, not allowing him to take them blame.

Bell fell silent, opting instead to simply look at her.

"Is everything alright, Haruhime?"

The renard was quiet for a moment, unsure of how to answer. She wanted to tell him what happened with Freya, but not here. Not now.

"Bell-sama may we...may I speak with you later? Privately?"

"Uh," he seemed a bit lost, but nonetheless nodded. "Yes, of course."

"Thank you. I'll come to your room later. After dinner, if that's alright."

"O-Of course," he said, not really sure how else to respond.

"Thank you," she said, before turning back to dinner.

Not sure what else to do, Bell turned to leave, but not before giving her a final look towards her as he wondered what precisely she wanted to talk about.

A short time later everyone else returned for dinner and soon enough the entire Hestia familia, plus the Miach familia, and Achilles were all sitting down enjoying a nice meal.

"You've outdone yourself, Haruhime. This is even better than normal. I didn't know that was possible," Achilles complimented.

"Thank you," she replied with a blush. "I just wanted everyone to feel better so I made sure to work really hard today."

"Well I certainly feel better," Achilles said.

"I can second that," Welf added.

"Mhmm, it really is delicious, Haruhime-sama," Mikoto said.

"It is good," Daphne said.

"I like it," Cassandra said shyly.

"It really is good," Bell said, making sure to catch Haruhime's eyes. "Thank you."

Haruhime returned Bell's gaze, detecting within his eyes something more than praise. She quickly realized he was silently asking her to tell him what was going on to which she silently replied.

"_Soon."_

Luckily Bell got the message because Hestia, noticing that Bell and Haruhime were staring at each other, felt the need to jump in.

"Stop that!" she screamed, jumping in between them.

"Hestia-sama?!" Bell cried.

"No one gets to stare lovingly into Bell-kun's eyes but me!" the goddess declared.

"What!? What gives you the right?!" Lili demanded.

Thus began an argument. Welf and Miach simply laughed at the antics. Naaza meanwhile, simply shook her head. Mikoto blushed in embarrassment for her familia's behavior while Daphne decided to ignore it and instead focus back on her food. Ryuu stared with barely concealed jealousy at the two fighting over Bell while Cassandra's head fell as she felt a tugging at her heart. However Achilles completely ignored the two ladies, instead focusing on Bell and Haruhime, noticing that, while the Hestia and Lili were fighting, they were sharing a look that indicated that something was going on that none of them knew about.

"_Hm, this is an interesting development."_

Dinner ended not long after and everything was cleaned up. Achilles, Bell, and the Miach familia then explained what had happened at the store, informing everyone that, to their surprise and relief, the Freya familia had done exactly as they had said they would. The store was cleaned of debris and was ready for reconstruction. The money had been counted and there was actually more than enough to rebuild it two times over. With the money they now had they could become one of the biggest stores in Orario. There was some debate about paying off some of their own debts, but Achilles shut that down giving them the same promise he gave Hestia with regards to their debt as a thank you for all their support. Miach had tried to politely deny him, but after Achilles insisted and a jab in the side from Naaza, he relented, instead thanking the adventurer. With that, everyone decided to turn in with Bell, Haruhime, and Achilles being the last.

"Bell," Achilles called when the young man turned to head in. "Mind if we talk for a moment?"

"Sure. What's is it?"

"Did something happen with you and Haruhime?"

Bell's look turned contemplative.

"Not really. At least, I don't think so. When I came home today I found her working in the kitchen and called out to her, but she didn't respond. Eventually I went up and tapped her on the shoulder and she jumped."

"Lost in thought?"

Bell nodded.

"I asked her about it and she said she wanted to talk to me privately after dinner."

"Hm. Did she say about what?"

"No. She…" a small blush came to Bell's cheeks. "She only asked if she could come to my room."

"_That's interesting,"_ Achilles thought. "_But this is Haruhime, she would never try outright seduction. Then again, if she's trying to win him she might try a different strategy. She did learn from the best after all."_

Achilles smiled.

"Then I shouldn't keep you. Whatever she wants to talk about I'm sure it's important."

"Uh...yeah...right. Of course," Bell said, a bit uneasy.

"Well, good night Bell. I'll see you in the morning," Achilles said, kissing the top of his head.

"Good night Dad."

Achilles walked away a silent prayer passing through his mind.

"_Please let this be a step forward."_

* * *

Bell went to his room, removed his jacket, sat on his bed, then waited. He didn't know what else to do. Should he clean his room? Should he bathe? Ideas bounced around in his head, including on the subject of whatever Haruhime could want, and of all the ideas that came to his mind, one stuck out.

"_You are a hero, Bell-sama. Nothing will change that in my eyes and no matter what comes next, I will follow you."_

The memory, and the revelation that came from it reverberated through his mind and caused warmth to rise in his cheeks. Finally though, a knock came at the door.

He almost rushed to the door, which in turn almost caused him to trip, but he managed to get to it without falling over, and opened it.

"Evening, Bell-sama," Haruhime greeted.

"Evening, Haruhime. Please, come in," he invited, opening the door wider.

"Thank you," she replied, walking in.

"Please," Bell said, signally for her to sit down.

"Thank you," she repeated as she sat down.

Bell sat down next to her and looked her in the eyes.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" he asked.

"I wanted to talk to about what happened when I went out today. You see Bell-sama, when I went out shopping today, I was stopped by Ottar-sama."

Bell's heart stopped.

"What?! Are you alright? He didn't hurt you did he?" Bell asked desperately, taking her hands.

She shook her head.

"No. He asked me to accompany him as Freya-sama wished to speak to me."

"Freya wanted to speak with you? Why?"

"She wanted to ask me a question."

"What question?" Bell asked, his heart now beating eradictily as fear began to take hold, but that fear disappeared the moment Haruhime smiled at him.

The smile was beautiful, unquestionably so. It was warm, and gentle, like being wrapped in a blanket next to a fire during a cold winter's night. It made his breath catch in his throat as his senses were overcome by the tenderness and unlimited affection it seemed to radiate.

"She asked me why Achilles thought that you and I belonged together."

That was not what Bell was expecting. In a thousand years he would never have guessed that and as such, could not find the words to respond.

"What?" was all he was able to manage.

She continued to smile at him.

"Your father has entrusted me with your heart. I know that you have given it to Aiz-sama and that you love her deeply, but I'd like you to hear my answer to Freya."

Bell remained silent, which was enough for her to continue.

"I told her that the reason Achilles entrusted you to me, was because I would do what she would not. I would treat you as you are. As Bell Cranel. The man. Not the Rabbit Foot or the record holder, but as the man with dreams and aspirations. The one who loves heroic tales and who would do anything for his friends and family. I would be there to comfort you when you cry, warm you when you were cold, and protect you from danger. I would love you fully, and never use or discard you. That I would fight for you, even against her."

"Haruhime."

"You are the greatest man I have ever known, Bell Cranel. You are kind, brave, and determined. You are a hero and I would be happy to stand by your side as your friend if that's what you wish. However," she grasped his hands in hers, gentle stroking them with her fingers. "I will no longer stand by and watch you chase another. I may not win your heart and I can accept that if indeed that is what happens, but I will no longer stand idly by. I will fight for your heart, Bell Cranel, because, with every finger of my being, from now until the day I die, I will love you."

Before Bell could even begin to try and make a response, she leaned over and kissed his cheek. Then, as his face began to burn and his mind threatened to burst as it desperately attempted to comprehend all that was happening, she stood up and smiled at him.

"Goodnight, Bell-sama. I'll see you in the morning. I love you."

And with that, she left, leaving behind a stunned Bell who could do nothing more than stare at the door and hold his now wonderfully warm cheek.

* * *

Holy Hell! That was a monster! Sheesh! I can't believe I actually made that one chapter. So much was put in there and it really bounced around didn't it? I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Maybe I'm just crazy. Hard to tell these days. Anyway, thank you guys so much for reading, I imagine this one was a bit harder than past chapters, if only because it was bordering on 20,000 frickin words! That said, I truly want to thank you guys, you have no idea how much I appreciate you being a part of this story. Writing is one of the few ways I know of turning my day around, and writing here, where the focus isn't profit or the spreading of some message, but simply to entertain and write as well as possible, really helps me at times and reminds me why I write and how much I love it. So thank you. All that mushiness and craziness out of the way, please tell me what you think of the chapter. I'm sorry if I'm not getting things and people like Enyo and the others right, I still haven't managed to get my hands on the side story light novels yet. I tried but accidentally bought the first mange instead because...I'm an idiot. If something seemed off, or I wrote someone a bit out of character please tell me and I'll see what I can do to fix the issue if I can. With that said, I will bid you all a good day and I'll see you all next time. Bye for now.

P.S. Oh, and in case anyone was wondering, the song that Achilles and Riveria played is _Lean on Me_ by J2. Check it out, it's quite lovely.


	18. Chapter 18

Hello good people. Welcome back and thank you again for reading. Before we begin, I just wanted to take and moment and show my appreciation for everyone who reviews as the kind words are appreciated and the criticisms often make this work better, so thank you. On that note, I'm going to reply to a few reviews as I want to make sure they know that I am listening.

So derethl2 provided two valid points, the first being Bell and Achilles confronting Freya. They rightfully pointed out that despite saying they were "going to do the smart thing" they immediately went to confront Freya and her familia which, naturally, is not very smart. Once more, my excuse-not-really-an-excuse, is that the two of them were angry and thus, irrational. That's cheap and not good writing, and so I apologize. I'd like to think it makes some sense given that, both here and in the actual canon, we do see their respective tempers, especially with regards to friends and familia. That said, it still should have been handled better.

Their second point was about Hestia's reaction, i.e. not the public humiliation against Achilles and Bell and also letting everyone partake. Both derethl2 and Drake Atlas pointed this out as coming across as out of character for Hestia and so it's certainly important that I mention it. On this count I do see their point as it does come off as outlandish but, given Hestia's personality, I don't think it's completely out of the question for her to punish them this way given the extremity of their offense with the lying and endangering themselves. Still, it is fair to say that it was a bit much and for me to throw comedy into what was supposed to be a serious scene was subpar on my part and so I again apologize. I also, once more, vow to do better.

Drake Atlas and a few others also mentioned Haruhime being a bit out of character, which, to be perfectly honest, she kind of was. My hope was that it came off as more of a 'finding her voice/inner strength' moment given that it was, in a way, a defense of Bell, but I certainly see everyone's point.

Finally was, **I just write**'s review. Once more I must apologize for my lack of Spanish skills and that Google translate does not provide the level of help I wish it would. On that note though, I do want to thank you for the review and the information you gave me regarding what apparently is the Freya side story, which I have been excited to read. However, there is one point that I would like to address, that being, if indeed the story suggests that Zeus and Hera familia had a level 8 and 9 respectively in their familias before their fall...er...well...I'm gonna have to ignore that. Not only because that seems bonkers to me given that the level 6s of Loki familia are called 'monsters' and Ottar, 'the King' is a level 7 as of me writing this, but because the idea that we've already had level 8s and 9s in this universe, and within living memory for many seems...odd to me. I mean, if they had adventurers that powerful, why did they not make it further than level 59 of the Dungeon? A level 9 could have probably reached that level single-handedly. Added onto the fact that the canon of this story has Achilles being the first level 7 in history and the idea of the level 10 theory hiding in the background and...well...I'm going to pretend I didn't see that the sake of this story. Sorry.

Now, with all those apologies and that promise, I think it's about time to get to the actual story. Let's see how Bell's doing after Haruhime's confession.

I do not own Danmachi

* * *

Bell had not slept. He couldn't. His mind was far too restless trying to comprehend everything that had happened recently. The Xenos that had attacked his father. Enyo and Revis. Freya and Miach familia. And finally, the one topic that had received the overwhelming majority of his thoughts. Haruhime and her confession.

"_What do I do?" _ he asked himself once more, not knowing how many times he had asked that question now. "_How do I answer her? I can't just leave it. But I love Aiz. Can I say that? Wouldn't that hurt her? I don't want to hurt her. But…"_

All these thoughts hurt him and he groaned as he grabbed his head. When he dropped his hands he noticed that the sun had risen and was peaking through his blinds, causing him to groan as he realized he had not slept the entire night.

"_I'm going to feel that today."_

Getting up, he decided to at least change his clothes before heading downstairs to get breakfast, hoping that some food in his stomach would help him, or at least distract his overworked mind.

He opened his door and immediately froze as none other than Haruhime was standing before him.

"M-Morning, Bell-sama," she greeted, her usual shyness having returned after realizing the night previous everything she had said and done.

"Have...have you been out her long?" he asked, not knowing what else to say.

She shook her head.

"O-Only a few minutes. I wanted to ask a favor."

"Um," his mind began to bounce around as it wondered what favor she could be asking after what she had confessed only a few hours before.

"I wanted to ask you not to reveal what happened between Ottar, Freya, and I," she requested.

"What?" he asked, more than a little shocked. "Why?"

"Because everyone is already so afraid. With everything that's happened the fear of a war in the streets is on everyone's mind and this will only make it worse. Also," she looked uncomfortable saying this next part, as if she didn't want to hurt someone. "Though I care a great deal for Achilles, he does have...a bit of a temper. If he finds out about this I'm not sure any of us could restrain him."

Bell had to admit to himself that she had a point, especially about his father. He was not the most patient man, and this would unquestionably set him off. However, the recent events with Hestia were also present in his mind and he could not readily accept her line of thinking.

"I understand why you're asking me this, Haruhime. But we all promised not to lie to each other or hold secrets. I just did that and you saw how that ended." She knew he would bring this up and she had no way of countering. "I still feel guilty about lying to you all and I don't want that eating away at you like it does me, and I certainly don't want you punished if it's ever discovered that you kept it a secret. And, now that I think about it, I suspect that getting to you was Freya's plan all along. Keep Dad and I distracted while she got to you. If that's the case, we really need to tell the others."

Haruhime's head dropped as she knew she had lost the argument.

"I understand, Bell-sama. I just...I just didn't want everyone to be afraid or angry anymore. I just...wanted everyone to be happy."

That broke Bell's heart. She wasn't keeping a secret or lying out of anger like he was, nor was it quite the same as the reason Hestia had kept his skill a secret. Both were done out of fear, but Haruhime's reason was tinged with affection, caring, and love. She just wanted everyone to be alright.

His own head fell as he realized that, without even meaning to, she had won his silence.

"Fine," he said, catching her attention. "I won't tell." Her eyes lit up. "But," he quickly added. "You should."

The smile that was forming on her lips stopped in its tracks, but the relief in her eyes was still there.

"I...I will try to find a moment to tell them. Hopefully when they're calm."

Bell sighed and nodded. He hated that he was now involved in this secret and suspected some sort of punishment for it the future, but right now, he couldn't stomach forcing the issue. He was too tired, too confused, and, with a rumble of his stomach he realized, too hungry.

Haruhime smiled softly.

"Let's go have breakfast, Bell-sama."

The two made their way downstairs where the others were already eating. Achilles was the first to notice them, and was prepared to give them both his usual greeting when he noticed the dark circles under Bell's eyes.

"Are you alright, Bell?" he asked.

Knowing precisely what his father meant, he did his best to smile.

"I couldn't get much sleep. A had a lot on my mind."

Achilles looked at him curiously with that curiosity only increasing when he noticed the guilty look on Haruhime's face.

"I see. Well, I can certainly understand that. Hopefully some food will do you some good."

Bell nodded.

"I hope so."

No one failed to notice the way he said that, nor the sluggish way he moved about with distant eyes. Concerned eyes met each other as they all wondered what was weighing so heavily on their captain's mind. All except Haruhime who felt the guilt build within her.

Their anxiety only grew as Bell silently ate, not sparing any of them his usual morning greetings or cheerful banter. Finally, when they were all about to explode with concern, he spoke.

"I'm going to go for a walk, to clear my head, if that's alright," he said to no one in particular.

This statement only served to amplify their anxiety and concern as numerous problems arose.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Bell-kun," Hestia stated. "With Freya lurking about it would be dangerous to go out by yourself."

"Yeah. We trust you Bell, we really do. We know that confrontation you had with Freya was just anger getting the best of you, but we want you to be safe, and going out by yourself would just invite trouble," Welf said.

Ryuu and Lili nodded.

"Why don't you take Achilles-dono with you? I'm sure you could talk to him about what's bothering you and that way you'll be safe," Mikoto suggested.

The others seemed to like this idea, but Achilles kept his eyes on his son, meaning he did not fail to notice the way his knuckles turned ever more white.

"That sounds like a good idea. So, Achilles-kun, would you watch over my Bell-kun for me? Just no getting into any more fights like last time," Hestia said, doing her best to make it come off as a joke.

"No."

Everyone, including Bell, turned to Achilles.

"He needs time alone," he said. "Me being there won't allow him to properly address whatever's bothering him right now. I would know, I've been in the same position countless times."

Bell's ideas widen a tad as he realized his father had understood him perfectly.

"But...but," Hestia tried.

"He'll have to be careful," Achilles continued, answering her unspoken question. "He'll have to keep his eyes and ears open, and it would be wise for him to avoid the Dungeon, but he's not going to be able to clear his head, and therefore feel like his normal self until he can properly address whatever is bothering him. So, unfortunately, we're going to have to swallow this one."

No one looked keen on doing that. Indeed, Lili seemed utterly opposed to that idea, likely due to what happened the last time she let Bell out of her sight. Still, the moment they saw Bell's desperate eyes staring at them, pleading with them to allow him this, they felt themselves cracking.

"Oooh, fine," Hestia relented. "But you are to be safe, do you hear me! You are to do nothing stupid! You are to go for a walk and that's it!" she declared.

Bell, now giving them the first true smile of that morning, nodded.

"Yes, Hestia-sama!" he replied.

"Grrr," the goddess tried to be angry, but seeing his smile made that effectively impossible. "Go on then, but I expect you to come back with a clear head and a smile. No more moping!" she added.

"I promise!" he proclaimed, before quickly cleaning his plate, putting away his dishes and telling them goodbye.

"Are you sure that was wise, Achilles-kun?" Hestia asked, with everyone else turning towards him as well.

"Well, it wasn't the intelligent thing to do," Achilles admitted, immediately earning a growl from Lili and a glare from Ryuu. "But, Bell needs this. Ever since he's come to this city he's had an ever increasing burden on his shoulders, and increasing less time to think on those things being placed upon him. Lest we forget, he's not yet even fifteen. He's the youngest one of us here," that reminder hit each member profoundly and a sinking feeling entered their guts. "Yet he is weighed down by more than any of us I think. He needs this. He needs time. To reflect. To breathe. To be a kid again. So, to answer your question, Hestia, yes, this is wise. One of the wisest things I, or any of us, is ever likely to do."

* * *

A sense of relief filled Bell. He hadn't expected them to allow him to go off on his own, but he was incredibly grateful that they had. The thoughts still weighed heavily on his mind, but even just the chance to try and address them made them weigh a bit less on his psyche.

He began his trek through the city, paying just enough attention to not run into anyone or return a call of greeting, but otherwise he was lost to the world as his mind began to try and work its way through the problems presented before him.

He decided to go in order of chronology, and so the Xenos attack was the first.

"_Why did they attack? Did something happen? We had planned to ask Hestia to send a message to Lyd and the others through Fels, but we got distracted with everything that happened."_

He quickly decided that he would ask Hestia about it later and hopefully they could get to the bottom of the issue and prevent anyone else from getting hurt.

Satisfied, at least for the moment, on that issue, he moved on the next. Enyo and Revis.

"_That Enyo person mentioned the special items that the Zeus and Hera familia hid away. How did he know about them? Did someone tell him? No, that can't be, Dad said all the captains were sworn to secrecy. Hmmm."_

He continued to walk along, his mind trying to put together how Enyo could have known. However he soon found he could not answer that and, in the end, it didn't truly matter. What did was that this Enyo did know and that he planned to bring about 'the end'.

"_We'll have to confront him in the future, that's for certain. Which means,"_ he pictured Revis in his head, his brow furrowing and his eyes turning cold. "_We'll be seeing her again too,"_ his fists tightened. "_I will not allow her to hurt Aiz."_

That promise ended that issue, but at the same time brought up the final two. Freya and Haruhime.

"_Both of them claim to love me but…,"_ he felt his mind clouding. "_How? Why? Haruhime says she loves me for who I am but who is that? Who does she see when she looks at me?" _He wasn't being cynical, he simply wasn't sure how he was viewed by others, namely the girl who had now confessed her love to him. "_And what does this mean for the future? I love Aiz, but I can't just let Haruhime's feelings go unanswered, I mean…" _he began to think back to everything they had gone through together and a small smile came to his face. "_She's really quite wonderful. So kind and patient. Her knowledge and love of hero stories is so profound, and the way her eyes light up when she talks about them...the way her eyes light up when she smiles."_

As much as he hated to admit it, feeling like it was some sort of betrayal of Aiz, Bell could imagine himself falling in love with Haruhime. Had his heart not already belonged to another, he may very well already have.

That, however, made things even worse as he honestly didn't know how to respond to her. He did love Aiz, that was unquestionable, but simply shutting Haruhime down felt wrong. Dishonest.

And then there was Freya.

Bell did not, for the life of him, understand Freya. Like Haruhime she claimed to love him, even going so far to effectively kidnap the renard in order to try and figure out what the young woman had that she, the immortal goddess of beauty, did not. Yet the idea of Freya loving him seemed so much different than the idea of Haruhime loving him, and his own love for Aiz. It was like it was on an entirely different planes of existence. And, to make matters more confusing, she claimed she was in love with his father.

"_Can you even be in love with two people at the same time? I know she's a goddess, but are their rules so different?"_ he thought back to what his grandfather used to tell him about making a harem. "_I suppose I used to think about that. About coming to Orario and building my own harem,"_ his cheeks began to burn. "_But then I met Aiz and all I wanted was her. But," _he began to paint a picture in his mind. "_Would it…?"_ it became clearer and clearer until a solid painting of him, Aiz, and Haruhime, standing together, all smiling with bliss radiating off of them, stood proudly in his mind. "_Be wrong if that happened?"_

The moment he asked that question his face burned with a frightful intensity and he actually had to stop and cover his face, catching the eye of a few passerbys.

"_I can't believe I just thought that!"_ he screamed internally.

He quickly shook his head to get rid of the thoughts. Unfortunately that didn't seem to help so he decided to simply get back to walking, hoping that would both clear his head and actually allow him to solve the issue.

After a few minutes his mind calmed down and he continued to contemplate the issue at hand.

"_Okay,"_ he thought, stopping for the moment. "_I know I'm in love with Aiz...apparently everyone knows that at this point,"_ he added with a bit of embarrassment. "_But I can't just leave Haruhime's feelings unanswered. That would be unfair and cowardly. So, I'll tell her the truth. That I'm in love with Aiz and going to go after her. But," _ he paused. "_She already knows that and she said she would fight for me anyway. Do I tell her not to?"_ he instantly knew the answer. "_No. No I won't tell her that. I could never tell her that. After all the attempts of others to turn me away from Aiz and what I said to Riveria, I can't tell her not to try, even if it's unlikely we'll be together. Then again," _he smiled. "_Most would say my situation is unlikely."_

Bell's smile grew, but not only for the reason that he was willing to consciously accept; for, hidden within his mind, and not as deep as he would try and portray, he rather liked the idea of Haruhime trying to win his heart and wondered, oh so silently in the back of his mind, what would happen if she succeeded.

"_Alright," _he mentally declared, feeling some of the weight lift off his shoulders. "_I have a plan for Haruhime. It's not exactly perfect, but it's a start. Now time to turn to Freya."_

He found himself stopping again.

"_But what do I do?"_

He honestly wasn't sure how to proceed with the goddess of beauty. Part of him was fiercely angry at her for what she'd done. How she'd hurt and manipulated those close to him, most notably his father, and he wasn't willing to set aside his suspicions about her role in the attack on Miach familia. However, the more he thought about her, the more he found that the situation was more complicated than he wished.

"_She destroyed Ishtar familia for me. Because I had been kidnapped. If she hadn't done that I might not have been able to rescue Haruhime as the whole familia would have been against me. And then there's what Dad said,"_ he thought back to the conversation he had with his now father figure about Freya. It seemed like a lifetime ago, even if it was in actuality, less than a month.

"_You need to understand, Bell, Freya in extraordinarily beautiful, and I don't just mean physically. She's clever. Determined. She has knowledge about things you can't even imagine. Talking to her is one of the greatest pleasures you can ever have. It's like she's talking directly to your soul. No, it's more like she's singing. Singing to your very being. But above all else, she's mysterious. Her eyes pull you in by presenting you a question you can never put into words, but that you know, deep down in your heart and soul that, if you can find the answer, you'll be apart of something more beautiful and wonderful than you could ever have imagined on your own. It's for all those reasons I fell in love with Freya."_

His father really was in love with Freya and, worse yet for poor Bell, he made it sound wonderful.

"_She's not evil. It's not that simple. But then...what is she? Possessive? Obsessive? Driven? Loving?"_ he thought back to the party and her explanation as to why she had used her Charm on his father. The fire that burned in his father's soul had very much been snuffed out, and yet...she had not been lying when she said that the pain was gone as well. As much as Bell hated to admit it, even to himself, his father's pain, the pain Bell saw every time he looked into the older man's eyes, was not there when she Charmed him, just a dull look of euphoria.

Bell's fist bled white as his mind tried to make sense of all this information, but simply could not.

"_This isn't working. I can't figure this out by myself."_

Realization suddenly hit him.

"_Maybe I don't have to. There are a few people that could tell me more about Freya who might just be willing to answer my questions."_

It was not a sure thing, but it was better than nothing. So, that in mind, he turned in the direction of what he hoped would be answers.

* * *

Syr and the other waitresses worked to make sure everything was ready for that night when the door suddenly opened.

The gray-haired young woman looked up, prepared to politely inform the individual they were not open when she recognized who it was.

"Bell!" she cried out happily. This caught the other waitresses attention and they immediately looked up.

"Hi Syr," Bell replied, doing his best to be cheerful.

Naturally, Syr and the others noticed.

"Is there something wrong, Bell?" she asked.

Bell sighed, but before he could answer, Mia appeared.

"Why aren't you girls working?"

She then took notice of Bell and the serious look on his face.

"Hey kid. What're you doing here?" she asked.

Bell took a deep breath.

"_I've come all this way, no backing out now."_

"I wanted to ask you all some questions."

That caught their attention, though it did not take long for Mia to figure out what was likely to come next.

"Alright," she replied, knowing this was too serious for her to brush off. Besides, she had a soft spot for the kid. "Ask away."

Bell looked her directly in the eyes, his gaze firm and unwavering.

"My dad told me that you were the former captain of the Freya familia and that there is at least one person here who still works for her. Is that true?"

The waitresses tensed, none more so than Syr whose eyes widened in fear. Mia, however, was unshaken.

"Yes. To both."

If Bell was displeased by this information, he did not show it.

"Then," he continued calmly. "I'd like you to tell me everything that you told her or did for her in connection to me. I suspect that you had a role to play in the destruction of Ishtar familia, so we don't need to discuss that."

That caught Mia's attention, as well as the increased shock of the girls.

"You know about that?" the ex-captain asked.

"Freya told my dad who told me."

Mia nodded.

"Alright. Not like she ever told me that I couldn't tell ya. Though before I do, mind telling me why you want to know?"

Bell's eyes finally fell.

"I'm trying to understand her. Trying to understand why she's focused on me. What precisely she wants from me. What," he looked up. "What I am to her."

Mia crossed her arms.

"I think she's been pretty clear with what she wants from ya," she said. Bell's eyes hardened at that, causing her to sigh. "Sorry, but truth is there are times even I don't understand her. Plenty of times in fact. Freya likes to keep an air of mystery about her."

"I've noticed," Bell replied.

"Sorry I can't tell you more. The only thing I can tell you for certain is that Freya never gives up on what she wants and she has never failed to get it."

"She doesn't have my dad," Bell countered.

"He's not dead is he?" Mia immediately stated. "As long as he's still around the game is still on."

Bell barely restrained a growl at the word 'game'.

"So, what have you done for her?" he pressed.

"You remember that grimoire?" she asked, not failing to take notice his change in attitude.

"Yes."

"That was from Freya."

Bell's eyes widened a bit though, after a moment, he figured he should not have been so surprised. He had felt Freya's eyes on him for some time, if she had fallen for him since at least the first time he felt her gaze then giving him something like that wasn't out of the question, especially given what he already knew about her.

"Alright," he said after a moment. "What else?"

Mia's eyes turned away from him. Following her eyes, he found Syr fidgeting next to him.

"Do you remember that necklace I gave you? Right before the War Game with Apollo familia?"

He nodded.

"That wasn't just a simple necklace. It was actually a protection charm that Freya had me give to you. It protected you from Hyakinthos's Aro Zephyros," she explained.

That surprised Bell far more than the previous revelation.

"_If that's true then I might not have won the War Game without Freya's help."_

That put the goddess in a new light, but not nearly enough of one to completely change his mind about her, and it certainly did not help his confusion.

"Anything else?" he asked.

Syr's nervous suddenly grew to the point she was practically shaking.

"W-Well, you already know about Ishtar…"

"Syr."

The girl snapped her head to the young man.

"Please be honest with me," he asked gently.

She could not say no to that. She just hoped he would not hate her.

"I knew what Freya was planning with regards to the party," she confessed.*

Things fell silent for a moment, and everyone, including Mia, waited in tense anticipation for Bell's response.

"I see," he finally said.

His tone was cold, something which none of them had ever heard and now, wished they never had.

"Bell," Syr tried, her voice shaking terribly. "Please...I…"

A hand on her head stopped her.

He sighed.

"Thank you for telling me," he gave her a small smile. "I appreciate the honesty."

It was very clear that Bell held some level of animosity at the moment, but this small act gave them all, especially Syr, hope that he would not come to hate them.

"Bell," the young woman said.

"Sorry to take your time," he said suddenly. "Thank you for the information. You've given me a lot to think about."

"Bell," Syr tried once more, only for Mia to grab her shoulder and shake her head.

"No problem Cranel-san," Mia said. "If you ever want to talk again, you know where to find us."

Bell nodded.

"Thanks."

With that the Rabbit Foot left the Hostess of Fertility, leaving behind a set of anxious women who were now quite unsure of what the future held for them and the young man.

* * *

Bell continued his walk, his mind processing what he had learned. On one hand, if not for Freya it was certain that he would not have gotten as far as he had, he might have even lost Hestia if not for her intervention. On the other hand, she had manipulated and hurt the people he cared about and he suspected that there was still more he was unaware of. All of this did nothing to ease his mind. In fact, it seemed even more confused than before.

"_Gah,"_ he grabbed his head. "_This isn't working. I need something to distract me or I'll never be able to work through this. But what can I do?"_

The answer came almost immediately.

He turned his head, his eyes catching the most noteworthy structure in Orario.

"_The Dungeon."_

Nothing cleared his head like fighting in the Dungeon. He had to be focused there, his life depended on it. Traversing a few floors could be just the thing to clear his mind.

"_But," _a sinking feeling filled his stomach. "_I told everyone I'd be careful. The Dungeon could be the perfect place for an ambush."_

He felt himself being torn apart. He wanted to be as safe as possible, and his father had specifically warned him away from the Dungeon, but he needed to clear his head. To find the answers to these questions plaguing his mind.

"_Please forgive me, everyone, I promise to be at 100% when I come back."_

With that, he headed towards the Dungeon.

* * *

"Aaaah!"

Bell torn through another monster, his breathing showing almost no signs of becoming labored even after going at if for over an hour. One of the positives of being a level four, he supposed.

Luckily, the fighting also seemed to be clearly his mind and he felt the fog that was drowning him earlier begin to recede.

"_Okay, my mind is clearing, at least somewhat. Maybe I can start to work through this now."_

That's what he hoped, but the more his mind tried valiantly to come up with a solid answer as to how precisely he should think of Freya, the more he found that no answer of any kind could be found.

"Haah," he let out. "Even now I just don't know what to think. It's never been this hard before. The closest I've come to things being this complex was-," his eyes widened for a moment, before he smiled. "Was with Haruhime, "a sudden burst of confidence filled him as the memories of what transpired with her and Ishtar familia came to mind. "But if I can make a decision with her, I can definitely figure out what to do now."

Fortune at that moment, however, decided to throw an interesting curve ball at Bell, as if to say, 'Oh? Then let's see what you do with this?'

"Bell Cranel."

His heart stopped.

"_No way."_

He turned his head only to discover none other then the goddess of beauty's own captain was standing only a few paces away.

"Ottar," he said, his voice shaking.

The Freya captain also seemed surprised to have suddenly stumbled upon his fellow captain, or at least as surprised as his stoic features would allow.

"What are you doing here?" Bell asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," Ottar countered. "I imagine that Achilles would not be keen on the idea of you being out by yourself after recent events."

"He wasn't," Bell admitted, taking a step back. "But you haven't answered my question. What are you doing here?" he stared nervously at the level seven. "Did Freya send you?"

Ottar's answer was calm and to the point.

"No."

Bell blinked.

"She...didn't send you?"

"No. My lady did not send me. I am simply going down into the Dungeon like any other adventurer."

"_But you're not any other adventurer,"_ Bell pointed out mentally.

"Then...you won't mind if I make my way back up, will you?"

Again, Ottar answered with his famous stoicism.

"No."

The larger captain even moved out of the way to allow him through.

Bell was frozen for a moment, knowing full well he couldn't completely trust the older man, yet relieved that not only did he appear to be letting him through, but also that he sensed no hostile intentions from the man.

"Thank you," Bell said.

He quickly strode up to Ottar, his eyes trained on him the entire time, not that the boaz seemed to care in anyway. Bell's heart was practically pounding out of his chest as he finally passed the King and continued a few more paces.

"Thank you," he repeated.

"Of course," Ottar replied, turning around to continue his own journey.

That should have been the end of it. Bell should have been ecstatic that no fight between him and Ottar had occurred and that he could return to his familia unscratched. That's how it _should_ have gone, but the moment Bell took a step away from Ottar he stopped as one thought came to his mind, or more accurately, one question.

"Ottar!"

The captain stopped, turning back to the young man who was now facing him, his fists clenched and a look of apprehension about him.

"Yes?" the boaz asked, his hand reaching for his weapon. He did not fear the boy, far from it. His growth may have been extraordinary, but he was still far from being a threat. No, he reached for his sword because it appeared that the young captain might be itching for a fight and, should that be the case, this would be a prime opportunity to retrieve the boy for his mistress.

"Why does Freya love me?"

There were very few times one would have the opportunity to see genuine surprise on Ottar's face but, had anyone else been there to witness this strange turn of events, they would have seen just that.

"What?" he asked.

"Why does Freya love me? I have tried, desperately to understand but I just can't," Bell asked, his voice clearly revealing his confusion and borderline desperation.

Ottar stared down at the boy for a moment, processing what the young man had said as well as the clear need for answers he was displaying.

"_Hm. Perhaps if he understands he won't be so resistant to her. Also,"_ he focused on Bell's eyes. Normally they held a deep seated strength, a testament to the power of his being, but now they were shaky. Confused. "_That will not do."_

"You gained my lady's affections when she discovered you and your aura. As she described it, your aura is both clear and shines brightly."

"But we hadn't even met before. Let alone knew each other!" Bell threw back.

"Did you know the Sword Princess when you fell in love with her?"

Bell's eyes widened before his head dropped. The King had gotten him there.

"No," he admitted. "But she saved me. She helped me when she didn't need to. Freya and I hadn't even interacted when you say she grew feelings for me. And I don't understand why," he looked back at Ottar. "You say that it's because of my aura. I don't know what that means and there's much I don't know or understand about the gods and goddesses, but what I do know was that I was a no one. A boy from a farming village in the middle of nowhere. A foolish child with dreams of being a hero. Of winning the hearts of beautiful girls with acts of bravery. But those were just childish dreams. Delusions. I didn't need to be a hero, I just wanted to live my life."

Ottar's response was instantaneous.

"That's a lie."

Bell was confused.

"What? I didn't lie."

"But you did," Ottar continued. "When you said you didn't need to be a hero. That's a lie. You do need to be a hero, Bell Cranel. Everything you've done up to now proves that."

Bell was floored. Out of everything he expected of the boaz before him, a statement on his nature was not amongst those expectations.

"I...I haven't always done the right thing," he tried to deflect.

"I know of no such time where you did not. Have you not always protected your friends and familia? Have you not always jumped into fights when others were in trouble?"

This conversation was getting more and more crazy as each second passed, and this was only made worse by the fact that Bell felt the need to argue with his fellow captain.

"I almost didn't with Haruhime."

"But you did. Despite the risks involved you could not simply leave her to her fate. In doing so you not only saved her but, if I'm not mistaken, you also saved my familia a great deal of trouble. For that, I thank you."

The craziness jumped another level at that, and yet, Bell was not done.

"I attacked Loki familia because I wanted to claim the reward from a rare monster!"

"Were you not trying to protect the Xenos?"

"Wha-...you know?" Bell asked, shocked to his core.

"My goddess was informed," Ottar replied stoically.

Bell was lost for words. A part of him still wanted to deny what Ottar had said, though he could not for the life of him explain why.

"Bell Cranel."

The young rabbit turned back to the older captain only to find him suddenly right before him.

"You need to be a hero," he repeated, an almost undetectable softness in his voice. "Just as I need to be an adventurer. Nothing else would have done for me, and I know that nothing else would have done for you. That's why you have earned my lady's heart. Because she could see that within you. Because nothing else would do but someone of your quality. You may not trust her now, and at the moment you may think you love another, but rest assured, my lady does love you and one day you will understand just how great her love is."

Bell was absolutely flabbergasted. How could he not be, with everything that the King of Orario had just told him?

"I-."

Ottar held up his hand.

"You do not need to reply, simply think on what I have said."

With that, the level seven turned around and began walking away.

"Ottar!"

He stopped again and turned around.

"Yes?"

For the second time that day, Ottar found himself genuinely surprised as the object of his lady's affections bowed before him.

"Thank you. You have given me quite a lot to think about, but I think I understand Freya a bit more now," Bell stood up. "I still can't trust her. Not after all she's done. However," he looked directly into Ottar's eyes. "You can tell her that should she be able to win my trust I wouldn't be opposed to speaking with her and getting to know her better."

Yet another rare event happened as a smile grew on Ottar's lips.

"I shall inform her."

"Thank you," Bell replied, a smile of his own appearing. "Goodbye," he finished, giving a quick wave before disappearing into the Dungeon.

"He's growing," the boaz said to himself. "My lady will be most pleased."

* * *

The weight he had felt when he had left home was gone and relief filled him to bursting point.

"_To think that Ottar would be the one that would help me,"_ he mused, beaming. "_But as long as I can return home at my best it doesn't really matter, I suppose. I know what I need to do with regards to the Xenos, Enyo and Revis, and with Haruhime. And now I better understand Freya. I still can't trust her, but now I understand that she's not evil, which I suppose is a weight off my shoulders, even if I can't approve of her methods."_

Hearthfire Manor appeared before him, causing his smile to grow even larger and he all but ran home, eager to see his familia.

He rushed through the gate and opened the front door.

"Hestia-sama! Everyone! I'm back!" he called.

The sound of feet moving towards him caught his attention and a moment later Haruhime appeared, looking like she wanted to be anywhere but where she currently was.

"Haruhime? What's wrong?"

"W-We have a guest, Bell-sama," she replied.

Her fear was beyond self-evident and Bell felt himself reaching for his knife.

"Are...are they in there?" he asked, looking towards the adjacent room.

"Y-Yes. As is everyone else," she answered.

"Alright," he said, still very uneasy with her tone.

The two made their way into the room and the moment he entered, Bell understood why Haruhime was so nervous as he was met with the sight of someone he had hoped never to see again.

"Gek gek gek. Long time no see, rabbit."

Bell's skin crawled as he was met with the sight of none other than the former captain of the Ishtar familia.

"Phryne," he said.

"What, that's all I get after all the fun we had together?" she said licking her lips.

The rest of Hestia familia tensed at the way she said that, with Hestia, Lili, and Ryuu all looking nauseous at the suggestiveness. Achilles, meanwhile, seemed outwardly calm, but if one were to look at his eyes, they would see a fire that look ready to turn the frog woman to ash.

"What...what are you doing here?" Bell asked.

The giant toad pulled out a piece of paper and started waving it around.

"I heard your familia was looking for new members, and I thought I'd join, gek gek gek."

If he had the ability to, Bell would have jumped out of his skin at that moment.

"The decision of whether or not you will become a member rests in the hands of Hestia and her familia," Achilles stated firmly.

"What's there to decide?" Phryne asked. "I'm a level five, looking for a new home, and you guys need strong adventurers in order to fight that bitch, Freya," she stated. "Besides," she suddenly got up and went over to Achilles where she then proceeded to grind herself on him. "Strong men like you need strong women. Not little twigs like these dogs."

Each woman took extreme offense that, except for Haruhime who simply hid behind Bell.

"Who are you calling a dog?!" Hestia screamed.

"Everyone's a dog compared to my beauty," Phryne said with complete seriousness, almost making Welf heave.

"Phryne Jamil."

Everyone turned to Achilles who was staring down at the creature that was far too close to him at the moment. Everyone could tell he was now unquestionably in a bad mood as the rage and disgust mixed inside him, though it appeared the Phryne herself did not notice.

"Yes, handsome," she said, giving him what one could only call the single ugliest flirtatious face to ever have existed.

"We will seriously take your application in consideration, but we do need time to discuss it. So, if you would be kind enough to come back, say tomorrow morning, we'd all, myself included, would greatly appreciate it."

"Ya can't decide now?" she asked bitterly.

"Adding someone of your caliber to any familia takes careful deliberation," he explained. "Simply throwing you in with everyone else wouldn't do."

For those that knew Achilles, like the Hestia familia, it was very clear what he was saying, '_Get out of here before I cut you in half you utterly vile abomination!'_. However, in the prideful, lustful mind of the toad before him, it came off as a compliment.

"I suppose you're right," she said flirtatiously. "Can't just throw me in with the rest of them. Alright, tomorrow then," she said, making her leave. "See you tomorrow, rabbit," she said to Bell, giving him a much unwanted smack on the ass before she left.

Hestia, Lili, and Ryuu were glowering and looked ready to tear the retreating woman apart with their teeth. Mikoto and Welf were not doing much better, both looking ready to empty their stomachs. Haruhime and Bell were in a worse state, as both were mortified to their cores at the sudden reappearance of the former captain of the Ishtar familia.

"Hestia-sama."

Everyone turned their attention back to Achilles who they all discovered was in a state that encompassed all three groups. Enraged. Disgusted. And at least somewhat terrified, likely due to the handling he just had.

"May I humble request that I be allowed to smoke inside at the moment?" he asked.

Hestia had made a rule about Achilles's smoking habit, making him promise to always do it outside, but given the situation, she was more than willing to overlook that rule at the moment.

"You may."

"Thank you," Achilles pulled out his pipe and quickly lit it before placing it in his mouth and beginning to inhale the smoke. Everyone allowed him a minute or so to calm down, which he greatly appreciated, before he finally spoke again. "So I take it that this particular application is a no."

"Is that even a question?" Welf asked.

"That disgusting, vile, ugly, toad will never be a part of this familia!" Hestia declared, going off like a volcano.

"Never!" Lili threw in for good measure.

Everyone seemed to relax at this, none more so than Bell and Haruhime, which did not go unnoticed by Achilles.

"Bell. Haruhime."

The two turned to him.

"Yes Achilles?/Yeah Dad?"

"You two seemed even more affected than the rest of us. I know you two have the lengthiest past with her, but something's telling me that there's more that we don't know."

The shocked looks on their faces confirmed Achilles's intuition.

"Bell-kun?" Hestia called out.

Bell turned to her, then to his familia who all looked at him with curious, gentle eyes.

"I-I-," he stammered.

He suddenly felt a hand wrap around his. He turned and found Haruhime looking directly at him.

"Tell them, Bell-sama. They can help unburden you."

"Haruhime."

Everyone watched the two silently, unsure of what they were seeing, but willing to let whatever was happening transpire without interruption. Finally, after gaining the needed strength from Haruhime, Bell returned his gaze to them.

"Remember what I told all of you about my capture and Haruhime's rescue?" A few nods and calls of 'yeah' answered him. "Well...none of that was a lie. I told you the truth...but I didn't tell you all of it."

Everyone shared a look.

"Alright Bell. I think you have our attention," Achilles said.

* * *

A few hours had passed since Phryne's departure from the Hestia familia home, and night had fallen over Orario. Riveria, naturally unaware of the trouble at Hearthfire Manor, was making her way to the dining room for dinner when she came across Gareth and Finn.

"Evening," she greeted.

"Evening, love bird," Finn teased.

Riveria pinched her nose.

"Is this going to be a thing from now on?"

"Just until I make up for the last twenty or so years of teasing," the prum captain replied.

Gareth chuckled.

"He might be willing to ease up if you confess," the dwarf suggested.

"No, that'll only make it worse," the prum admitted. "If those two actually get together I'm going to tease them for the rest of their lives."

"You're not making me want to pursue this, Finn," Riveria stated, pinching harder.

"Pursue what?"

The three turned to find Tiona, Tione, Aiz, Bete, and Lefiya all approaching them.

"Did you find some rare monster in the Dungeon?" Tiona asked excitedly.

"No...uh," Riveria tried, not sure how to answer.

"Yes Riveria, why don't you tell them what it is you want to pursue," Finn said with a devilish smile.

She glared down at him.

"_I will get you for this."_

Everything stopped when a burst of light suddenly filled the room.

"What the-?" Tione said.

Riveria rushed to the window and her eyes widened as she saw a bolt of blue lightning shooting up into the sky from the Pleasure District.

"That's not good," Finn said from beside her. "If he's shooting up lightning that means he's really mad," he turned back to his familia. "Change of plans everyone, we're heading to the Pleasure District immediately!"

"Right!" everyone cried, before quickly running off to gather their gear.

"What do you think set him off?" Finn asked Riveria.

"I'm not sure," she replied, looking at the now darkened skies that now crackled with unnatural light. "And in all honesty, I'm not sure I want to find out."

* * *

Bell had finished the story of what had happened between him, Phryne, and Haruhime, and his familia was beyond distressed.

Everywhere he looked he saw the wide, horrified eyes of those he considered his family. Mikoto and Welf looked like part of them had died and things were even worse when he turned to Ryuu. The elf looked both devastated at what had happened to him, and like a vengeful goddess with what had almost happened to him. It was both heartbreaking and terrifying.

He turned towards Lili and Hestia, not sure if his heart could take what he would see there, only to find himself suddenly engulfed in two pairs of arms.

"Bell-kun/Bell-sama!" the two cried out as they hugged him tightly, tears in their eyes.

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry, Bell-kun! I should have protected you!"

"I should have been there! I should have rescued you, Bell-sama!"

Their desperate, aching words, tore at Bell's heart as he felt responsible for making them cry.

"Please...p-please don't cry," he said, tears starting to come to his eyes. "It's not your fault. I-I should have been s-stronger."

"No!" Hestia suddenly pulled away and took his face in her hands. "You did nothing wrong! Nothing! Do you hear me? You have been so brave and so strong for so long. To have had something so horrible happen to you and to have been bearing it for so long," tears returned to her eyes. "We will never let that happen to you again!"

"That's right," Welf declared. "No one's ever touching my little brother again."

"Not so long as I live," Mikoto added.

Ryuu did not make a verbal response, instead making her way over to Bell and hugging him alongside the other two. No jealousy was had at that moment for comforting their Bell was far more important.

Haruhime stood off to the side, smiling tearfully at the support Bell was given, happy that he would not face this burden alone. However, after a few moments of taking in the scene before her, she began to notice an odd, crackling sound.

Not long after the renard had taken notice of the noise, the others began to hear it as well. Soon enough, they all turned to the sound, and found their blood running cold.

Pale blue lightning danced along Achille's body, crackling menacingly as it demanded a target for its rage. His eyes were gone, replaced by bolts of electric blue.

"Haruhime," he said suddenly.

"Y-Yes?!"

He turned to her with his eyes of light.

"You have earned more good will today than I can ever repay. For protecting my son in more ways than one before I ever got the chance to, I thank you and pledge my life to yours."

"T-That's not necessary," she said.

"But it is," he stated. "I can't ever fully repay you, but I will try, until my dying day," he turned to the rest of them "That goes for the rest of you as well. Your support for my son means more to me than I can ever put into words, so please know, you have my eternal gratitude."

With that, he began to walk towards the exit.

"Where are you going Dad?"

"I'm going to destroy the Pleasure District."

That instantly set off alarm bells.

"Wait! Dad!" Bell got up to stop his father. "That's completely unnecessary!"

"On the contrary, not only did they allow that to happen to you, but the culture of that place fostered a creature like that toad. She might even be hiding there now," his eyes somehow got even more enraged. "They must be punished."

"Dad. Please."

Hearing the pleading tone of his son, Achilles paused. After a moment, he took a deep breath and the lightning that surrounded him slowly began to fade away.

"Fine, I won't destroy them, but I'm still going to have a talk with them."

"Then I'll come with you."

"That won't be necessary."

"Someone has to restrain you," Bell countered.

Achilles sighed even more heavily.

"Fine," he relented.

"Good," Bell said with a nod. "Hestia-sama, it looks like we'll be gone for a little while."

"Alright, Bell-kun," the goddess said before her eyes turned to his father. Achilles-kun."

"Yes?" the ex-captain asked.

"Make sure you punish them properly."

"Hestia-sama?!" Bell cried.

"Understood," the captain responded immediately.

"Dad!"

"Sorry Bell, now it's the goddess's order."

"You two! No destroying the Pleasure District! We're just going to talk!"

"We'll see," the ex-captain stated.

* * *

Achilles and Bell made their way through the darkening streets of the city towards the Pleasure District.

Achilles's mood was evident to everyone they passed, if not from his cold eyes, than by the bone-crushing grip that he currently had on his sword.

Finally, the two arrived before the gates of the district.

Normally the girls there would have been thrilled to see the two male adventurers, but taking note of Achilles's fierce look and Bell's obvious attempts to restrain them, they tensed.

"Halt!" one of them cried as they both put their weapons in the two men's path. "What business do you have in the Pleasure District?"

Achilles's reply came in one, soul freezing word.

"Move."

The girls, now frightened to the point of shaking, could do little more than move their weapons out of the way and let him passed.

Once the Olympian stormed passed, Bell's went up to the two girls and bowed.

"I'm terribly sorry about him, he's just really angry at the moment. I hope you two can forgive him."

"What...what happened?" the other guard asked.

Bell fidgeted for a moment before answering.

"He found out about what happened with Phryne."

The two grimaced as a shiver went up his spine.

"We're so dead," the first guard said.

"Don't worry," Bell quickly said. "I'm here to keep him restrained, and he said he wouldn't destroy anything."

"Well then," the second guard jumped in. "You best go catch up with him because I don't think anyone else can stop him."

"Right!" he responded, following after his father. "I'm sorry again!"

Bell caught up to Achilles to find the man in an even worse mood.

"Too many people," Achilles growled as he glared at the crowd before him.

Bell sighed in relief. While the crowds were obviously aggravating his father, they would force him to take more time to get to his destination, which appeared to be Belit Babili. After all, it was not like Achilles would use force on a crowd of complete strangers.

That was what Bell thought. He was wrong.

Pulling out his sword, which instantly caught the attention of everyone around them, Achilles smashed the blade against the ground, causing a terrible clang to go up, instantly catching the attention of everyone in a block radius.

"Move," he said.

Instantly the crowd parted and Achilles continue, his sword scraping against the ground the whole time, sending up sparks and a horrid noise that let everyone know of his coming.

"Dad," Bell groaned before following after him.

The two travelled through the entire Pleasure District in this manner, the crowded streets parting the moment they heard the terrible scraping sound of Achilles's approach. Finally, the two arrived at Belit Babili where they discovered not only Aisha waiting for them, but an entire army of armed to the teeth ladies of the night with nervous looks on their faces.

"Achilles-san. Bell-kun," Aisha greeted, trying her best to sound calm. "To what do we owe this pleasure?"

Bell jumped in before his father exploded, hoping he could explain the situation in such a way that no one got hurt.

"Well you see, today-."

"Phryne Jamil," Achilles stated.

Instantly Aisha and the others understood and their nervous sweats turned into rivers of fear.

"I-I see," Aisha replied.

"So you are aware of what happened?" Achilles asked, his eyes turning so menacing that Aisha's knees began to shake.

"Y-Yes. Ishtar ordered us to capture Bell unharmed. Phryne, being the disgusting glutton she is, decided to disobey those orders and take him for herself," she explained.

"Did you search for him?" Achilles's asked, his voice sounding more monstrous than any creature in the Dungeon.

"We did, but could not find him. Phryne has a hideout somewhere none of us know about."

"Haruhime knows."

That surprised Aisha.

"Does she? Well...that's good, else-," she cut herself off, realizing where this would lead, and worse yet, how Achilles would react.

"Else the giant fucking toad would have raped and murdered my boy. Is that what you were going to say?" Achilles asked.

The power and terror-inducing tone within his voice was too much for some of the nearby girls, who actually fell to their knees. Aisha held on, but just barely.

Luckily for them, Bell decided he had stayed on the sidelines long enough.

"Dad, stop. It's not their fault," he said.

"They attacked and kidnapped you with the intent of handing you over to their goddess to be Charmed, then lost you to the ugliest woman this city has ever seen. How is this **not** their fault?"

"Dad, please. Aisha has helped more than you know. If it wasn't for her, not only would Haruhime not have been saved, but I wouldn't have even met her."

Achilles stared down at his boy. He knew Bell would not lie, but the young man could still be deceived. However, seeing the strength behind his son's eyes, he knew that was not the case.

"Is that so?"

"It is so," Bell replied firmly.

Achilles let out what sounded like a mix of a sigh and a growl.

"Very well. Aisha," he turned back to the level four. "You will never allow Phryne back into the Pleasure District. You will shun her and cast her out, am I understood?"

Aisha, realizing that disaster had been averted, allowed herself a smile and nodded.

"Yes. She wasn't a friend to us even when we were a part of the same familia. Now, if that toad shows her disgusting face here, we'll be giving her a welcome she deserves."

"Good," Achilles said. "Also, Bell's lessons with you are hereby terminated."

"Dad, that's not necessary," Bell said. While the lessons did embarrass him terribly, they had been beneficial, beyond even their intended purpose.

"I understand," Aisha replied, with a small hint of disappointment in her voice.

"Good," Achilles repeated. "Now," he took a deep breath. "You all might want to back up."

Confused, everyone nonetheless did as requested. Once they had, Achilles raised his sword straight to the sky and, to the shock of everyone there, shot a bolt of lightning into the sky.

Everyone had to cover their eyes as blinding light, brighter than the strongest summer sun, filled the area.

"Holy shit," Sharay said, squinting towards the source of the light. "What is this guy?"

"Something beyond us," Aisha said as she aimed her gaze towards the sky and watched in awe and horror as the sky darkened with clouds, the sound of thunder began to boom, and suddenly a bolt of lightning raced out of the clouds and struck the top of Belit Babili.

A series of startled cries erupted as debris crashed into the ground.

"There," Achilles said the moment the lightning disappeared. "Now I'm calm. Come on Bell, let's go home"

The former captain then turned and began to walk away.

" R-Right!" Bell replied. Before he could get far however, he turned back to Aisha and the others and bowed. "I'm terribly sorry for this!"

"Don't be. I suspect if it wasn't for you we wouldn't all still be here," Aisha said.

"Please don't say things like that Aisha-san."

She smiled and dared to affectionately stroke his hair.

"Your father is very protective of you. It's understandable why he reacted like he did. I'm sure there are many fathers out there who wish they could do the same when something happened to their child. We should all be so lucky to have such a father."

"Aisha-san."

"Go on. Don't want to keep your father waiting."

"R-Right," he turned to leave again only to surprise everyone when he suddenly hugged Aisha. "Thank you."

Though she was initially surprised, Aisha soon found her surprise fading as content affection took its place and she returned the hug.

"You're very welcome."

The two finally parted and Bell ran after his father, while Aisha watched silently, her hand soon finding itself placed above her heart.

"_A pity he won't be coming back seeing as I'm now officially smitten for him."_

* * *

Bell and Achilles made it out of the Pleasure District in record time courtesy of everyone being terrified of Achilles and avoiding him like the plague. Not that he minded. The same could not be said of Bell who was both embarrassed and hoping that they would not get in trouble for what happened.

"Achilles!"

The Loki familia suddenly appeared before the two captains.

"Evening, Finn. What are you doing here?" the ex-captain asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," Finn shot back. "What was that lightning we saw."

"Oh. That. Well, I just learned some...unfortunate information."

No one failed to notice the rage that entered his eyes at that, however it was Finn who noticed how uncomfortable Bell suddenly became.

"Bell-san." Bell shot his eyes to the prum captain. "Can you be a little more specific?"

Bell's discomfort increased noticeable as everyone turned to him, only for Achilles to place himself between the young man and the Loki familia.

"He has nothing to say to you," Achilles said, his tone clearly warning Finn off from his current path.

"I believe that would be for Bell to decide," Finn pushed back.

"Bell-san," Riveria said, hoping to prevent things from getting too tense. "Did something happen?" she asked gently.

Bell's fidgeting returned. In fact, when compared to earlier, it was even worse and it did not take long for Achilles to figure out why.

"_He thinks that Aiz will think less of him."_

"Bell," he called out, his own voice now taking on a gentle tone. "You don't need to tell them. They have no right to this information."

Bell smiled sadly at him.

"It's okay. I don't want it to rule over me," he said, doing his best to sound convincing.

"_You say that, but you're practically shaking,"_ Achilles thought.

Even so, he took a step back and let his son proceed.

"It...all started when Phryne Jamil showed up at our home today," Bell began.

* * *

Bell completed his story and found the entire Loki familia was in a state of shocked disgust.

"Bell-san," Riveria said, now understanding why Achilles had tried to stop them and feeling terribly guilty that she had pushed him.

"That's abhorrent," Finn said, his fists clenched.

"Indeed," Gareth said going up to Bell. "No one should have to face that, especially not one so young and good-hearted," he grabbed Bell's shoulder and giving him a reassuring squeeze. "You're very strong, Bell Cranel."

Bell, unable to muster any words, bowed to show his gratitude.

"Tsk, nasty freaking toad," Bete growled.

"I can't believe there are Amazons like that! When I get my hands on her I'm gonna tear her a new one," Tiona declared.

"Save some for me," Tione said.

"That's so awful, I can't believe someone would do that," Lefiya said. "Things like that shouldn't happen, should they Aiz-san."

The silence that met her question garnered everyone's attention.

All eyes turned to Aiz who, it was now noted, had remained unnaturally silent during the whole ordeal.

"Aiz-san?" Lefiya repeated.

Still the girl remained quiet and did not even move so much as an inch.

"Aiz?" Riveria tried, a touch of apprehension climbing up her spine.

Still nothing.

Fear began to enter Bell's heart as he began to suspect the worse.

"I-I swear n-nothing happened!" he suddenly cried out. "S-She was going to use an a-aphrodisiac, b-but Haruhime rescued me before she could. N-Nothing happened. W-We d-d-didn't…"

The poor boy looked ready to vomit and Achilles knew it was not just because he was reliving the experience.

"_He's trying to convince her that he's still innocent. He's afraid she'll view him as tainted."_

He was not the only one to recognize this as Riveria understood as well and felt her heart breaking because of it.

"_Bell."_

Yet still, Aiz remained silent, doing nothing more than meeting Bell's gaze.

"A-Aiz-san," he tried once more.

And then, Aiz did the single worst thing she could have at that moment. She turned and jumped away into the night. Leaving them all, her familia, Achilles, and most importantly, Bell, all behind.

The devastation that filled Bell's face would have brought the most heartless to their knees. The unrestrained, relentless barrage of pain that encompassed him at that moment could never accurately be portrayed in words, it could only be seen, and all those who were currently baring witness to his agony wished to the heavens that they had never had to see such misery.

Suddenly though, a zapping sound rang through the air and Bell's eyes, so full of pain a moment before, rolled up into his head as he fell limp.

None of the Loki familia had time to react before Achilles grabbed his boy and lifted him into his arms. It was then they saw Achilles and the sight that was before them would give them all nightmares for years to come.

Face scrunched in an inhumanly terrible form, eyes of blue lightning that seemed to somehow consume the light around them, veins pumping boiling blood causing steam to roll off his skin, and teeth bared like a dragon, Achilles was the true visage of ungodly rage.

"Riveria," he called out, his voice some sort of unnatural mixture of a growl and a roar. "She'd better have a damn good reason for doing that or else, I swear on the bones of my familia, **she...will...wish...I was the Dragon**," he warned.

His threat hanging above their heads like a sword, Achilles activated Lightning Steps and shot off for home.

Everyone but Finn, Gareth, and Riveria suddenly fell to the ground, their strength evaporated in the face of the fury of the Olympian.

"_Aiz, please, please tell me you had a very good reason for doing what you just did,"_ Riveria prayed.

* * *

Phryne growled as she forced her way into her room.

"Bunch of weaklings," she said as she slammed the door behind her. "No way they could satisfy me."

A vicious smile suddenly grew on her lips.

"But soon I won't need to scrounge around with such worms, I'll have permanent access to two real men," she said licking her lips.

The thought of having Achilles and Bell caused a tingle to pass through her body. True, she was still mad at the rabbit for marring her face, but he could make up for that with a few romps in the hay, especially now that he was a level four.

"This is going to be great. To have both of them. Hell, maybe I'll allow them to take me at the same time, that'll make for a hell of a night!"

She began laughing only to stop when her door suddenly burst open.

"Whaa?!"

She turned and found her shock immediately turned to anger as she saw who was before her.

"What do you want Sword Princess?!" she demanded.

"You hurt someone I care about very much and now," she pulled out her sword, eyes glaring fiercely at the creature before her. "You are going to pay for that."

* * *

Finished! Wooh, sorry that took so long guys, I honestly thought this chapter was going to be shorter. Well, I guess it is what it is, and hopefully you guys don't mind another long one. Hopefully it also didn't come across as too jumpy for you all either., especially the Freya parts. I'm really trying my best to understand her character and write her properly, but she's not an easy character to pinpoint. At best, I can call her a chaotic neutral, but that only gets me so far. As such I'm really working to better format her character and get to the real heart of what makes her who she is. I really try my best in these circumstances, but sometimes I just don't get things right. Anyway, all that said, I do hope you enjoyed this, the final chapter of this year, and of this decade. Whew, can't believe the 10s are done. Well, here's to an even better year and greater decade! I'll see you guys when the calendar changes so, until then, bye for now and Happy New Year!

P.S.

*I wasn't sure if Syr was aware of Freya's role in the Silverback and Minotaur incidents. The anime suggests she might know something, especially with the Minotaur incident, but I wasn't willing to say that it was for sure, so I let it be.


	19. Chapter 19

Hello everyone. I'm terribly sorry this one has taken so long to put out and that, if anything, everything is taking me longer. I won't bother you with my excuses, I will only say, again, I'm sorry. That out of the way, I believe you all would like to see what happens with our dear Sword Princess and our not so dear toad, am I right? Well then, let's get into it.

I do not own Danmachi

* * *

Achilles kicked open the door to Hearthfire Manor, causing the slabs of wood to crash against the walls with a terrible burst of thunder.

Naturally, this startled and frightened the occupants of the mansion, causing them to come running, weapons drawn. Seeing that it was Achilles, they calmed a bit and would have gone on to either question or reprimand him for scaring them half to death. However, discovering Bell in his arms, unconscious, that was thrown out the window as their fear returned and they ran up to him.

"What happened to Bell-kun!" Hestia screamed.

She reached out to try and check over the unconscious young man, only to find herself stunned as Achilles brushed passed her, not sparing her, or any of the other stunned members of Hestia familia, a word.

"Achilles?" Haruhime called, her voice barely registering for the others as they watched the former captain continue to walk away from them, heading for the stairs.

Snapping out of her stupor, Hestia angrily called out.

"Achilles, what happened?!"

The demand was again ignored as he began to make his way up the stairs.

Hestia's teeth smashed together, the force of her bite causing them to groan in agony as her fists tightened until her nails finally pierced them.

"Achilles Caesar, what happened to my Bell?!"

Finally, he stopped at the top of the stairs.

Slowly he turned.

Not a single member of the Hestia would sleep that night, for any chance of sleep was rendered impossible before the terrible might of the soul-shattering nightmare that was Achilles's eye at the moment when he said but one thing.

"Aiz Wallenstein."

* * *

Phryne glared at her.

"What the hell are you talking about? Who did I hurt? I don't remember squashing some pathetic dog recently."

"Bell Cranel," Aiz answered, her eyes turning colder by the second.

"The rabbit? I didn't hurt him. Least not recently. If anything, I promised him the greatest pleasure he'll ever have once I get accepted into his familia."

Aiz's fist tightened on her sword.

"Draw your weapon," she demanded.

"What?"

"Draw. Your. Weapon," Aiz repeated.

Phryne was silent for a moment, her eyes looking over the Sword Princess, trying to figure out what was up with her. In the end however, she didn't really care. She hated the Sword Princess and this was as good a time as any to vent her frustration.

"Alright, Sword Princess. You want a fight," she went over and grabbed her axes. "I'm more than happy to oblige."

The moment the frog-like adventurer took a fighting pose, Aiz attacked.

As much as Phryne hated to admit it, even to herself, the force that suddenly hit her upon Aiz's blade meeting her axe was nothing to sneeze at. Soon enough, she found herself not only being forced back, but smashing through the door she had just come through and being launched into the rest of the building, startling the other patrons there.

"Not bad, Sword Princess," she conceded. "You must really like the rabbit. Too bad a real woman like me got to him first!" she declared before swinging her second axe at Aiz's head.

The Sword Princess's eyes turned even darker as she took in Phryne's words. It seemed almost as if she did not notice the axe aiming to cut her cranium in half, so much so that Phryne actually began to salivate at the idea of killing the false beauty. However, when the axe's edge was less than an inch from making contact, Aiz suddenly battered it away as if the heavy weapon was as light as air. Phryne found her footing lost at the sudden counter-attack and as she tried to regain her position, Aiz struck, lashing out with her sword and cutting Phryne across her face.

Crying out in pain, the man-eater jumped back and checked her face. Seeing her blood and realizing what had happened, her eyes turned into pits of furious rage before turning back to her opponent.

"My face! My beautiful face! I'll kill you for that Sword Princess!" she screamed before attacking with all her horrid fury.

Aiz held up her sword and took the attacks calmly, as if she were a machine made of automated parts, not a human with hot blood in their veins.

The attacks of the terrible toad failed to break through Aiz's defenses, but the force of the blows were enough to force her through the wall of the building and into the open air of Orario's night darkened streets.

"Die!" Phryne demanded.

The ring of metal filled the streets as the two clashed again and again against each other, causing the citizens of Orario unlucky enough to be within range of the two, to dive for cover and flee in terror as the ladies of war battled against each other.

Naturally, Aiz had the advantage. Not only had she already beaten Phryne, but she was of a higher level and significantly quicker. Normally this distinction would have been enough for her to restrain herself like when she trained with Bell or the time she had battled him in order to destroy the monster he protected. However, this was not like those times. Indeed, the memory of Bell, especially of the bravery and determination he had shown when defending the monster, no, the girl, Weine, now filled her with such fury that she discarded all restraint.

"_She hurt Bell. That cannot go unpunished."_

Seeing an opportunity, she blocked two strikes from Phryne, using her strength and skill to knock the second blow back, causing Phryne to lose her balance again. That was all Aiz needed as she struck out and cut the frog woman diagonally across the chest, sending up a spray of blood.

"Gah!"

Phryne jumped back and put a hand on her wound.

Seeing her mortality draining from her, Phryne's eyes, which were already furious to the point of terrifying, turned utterly hateful.

"What is with you, you crazy bitch?! Are you actually trying to kill me?! Here?! Out in the open?!"

"My aim is to punish you for what you did to Bell," Aiz responded coldly as she slowly made her way towards Phryne.

"What's the rabbit to you?! What, are you in love with him or something?!"

Aiz stopped.

"_Love?"_

Aiz's mind began to turn as that word began to echo in her mind.

_Aiz looked at her mother curiously. She had this look on her face that Aiz didn't really understand. It only ever appeared when she looked at her father, but she didn't understand why._

"_Mommy?"_

_Aria looked at her daughter._

"_Yes Aiz?"_

"_Why do you look different when you look at daddy?"_

_Aria seemed confused for a moment before realization filled her eyes and she smiled._

"_That's because I love him."_

"_Love?"_

"_Mhm," Aria answered, lifting Aiz into her lap. "Love is a wonderful thing. It makes you feel warm inside and makes you want to be with someone forever. To stand next to them, smile with them, even go through hard times with them. One day, you'll find someone who you'll always want to be with like I always want to be with your father, and when you do, dear Aiz, don't let them go."_

_Aiz was confused, but whatever this 'love' was, it made her mother happy and if her mother said to do something, she knew she should._

"_Okay Mommy. When I find someone I love I'll never let them go."_

The Sword Princess's eyes widened.

"_Do I…?"_

Phryne noticed that Aiz had frozen, and not one to miss and opportunity, she smiled and launched herself at the maiden of the sword.

"Ooora!"

Snapping out of her stupor, Aiz had barely enough time to raise her sword up to defend herself before Phryne's axe came crashing down. However, given her lack of preparedness, she did not put up enough resistance and her sword was forced down and the axe bit into her shoulder.

"Argh!"

Phryne licked her lips.

"That's what you get, Sword Princess!" she cried before delivering a kick to Aiz's side.

Aiz went flying through the street, landing halfway down the block. However, with her head back in the game, courtesy of the pain now coursing through her body, she was prepared for Phryne's next attack and was more ready than ever to give the man-eater exactly what she deserved.

* * *

Ottar walked out of the Dungeon into the night air, a large haul hidden away in his bag, eager to return to his mistress and inform her of what happened with Bell. However, before he could get far, a number of people ran into the square.

"Run!" one of them cried.

It did not take long to discover why the individual had made such a cry as soon, two figures came crashing into the square, scaring the life out of civilian and adventurer alike, except for the King of course.

He set down his bag and grabbed his sword, ready to intervene in the unsightly affair that now risked annoying his lady, when he saw who it was that was fighting.

"_Phryne Jamil...and the Sword Princess?"_

The sight was surprising, and he wondered what precisely had transpired for this situation to unfold, but whatever the reason, he decided it was best to put a stop to it. Indeed, should fortune favor him, the Sword Princess may decide on an unwise path and provide him the chance to remove her as an obstacle from his lady's acquisition of Bell Cranel's affections.

Oblivious to this, and all else around them, the two ladies of war continued to strike and counter against each other.

It was obvious that Phryne was on the verge of losing. She'd gotten a lucky strike in, but it was far from enough to stop Aiz. The toad was now bleeding from multiple wounds, at least one of which was serious, and was slowing down, which against the legendary speed of the Sword Princess, was not a good thing.

Enraged and desperate, Phryne gave off a cry and launched an all-out strike at Aiz's head, only for the swordswoman to block the attack, send the axe flying from her hand, then launch her blade directly at Phryne's throat.

However, the lethal strike was prevented from fulfilling its goal by the sudden appearance of a large, cleaver-like sword.

The two women, wide-eyed from the weapon's sudden appearance, turned and found Ottar staring down at both of them.

"That's enough, Aiz Wallenstein."

"Ottar," she breathed out.

"Killing her out here would be unwise," he continued calmly, as if he had not just prevented a murder.

Before Aiz, or for that matter, Phryne could say anything, dozens of adventurers suddenly appeared in the square, one of them being Shakti.

"Cease hostilities immediately!" the captain of Ganesha familia ordered.

Ottar pulled his blade back and placed it on his back.

"Shakti," he greeted.

"Ottar," she returned. "What is going on here?"

"You will have to ask them. I merely intervene to prevent Aiz Wallenstein from killing Phryne Jamil."

Shakti wondered about that, but said nothing, instead turning her gaze to the two women. Both had seen better days, but it was very clear that Phryne was in worse condition.

"Drop your weapons, both of you," she ordered.

Phryne did so immediately, happy as can be that she had been saved and knowing she now had a chance to get the Sword Princess punished. Aiz, however, did not respond immediately, instead looking at Shakti for a moment, before turning back to Phryne.

The toad smiled at her, even as blood dripped out of her mouth, and this caused Aiz's rage to boil.

"Aiz Wallenstein, I will not ask you again!" Shakti stated.

Turning back to the captain, Aiz finally let her weapon go, the sword crashing against the ground.

"Take them both to the Guild and see to their wounds. Ottar, you will also be coming with us. I don't know what your role was in all of this, but I have questions that I want answered," Shakti said.

"Very well," he replied stoically.

"You and you," Shakti said, pointing at two members of her familia. "Go to Loki and Freya familia and inform them of what's going on. They may have more information for us. At the very least they will want to know what happened to their familia members."

The two saluted and ran off towards their respective destinations. That done, Shakti turned back to the three now in her hands.

"Let's go."

The Ganesha familia plus three made their way through the streets towards the Guild silently. As time passed, more and more people began to gather and follow after them, having been attracted by either the sight itself or by the sounds of battle. However, that was not the only reason so many now followed the entourage. What Aiz, Ottar, and Phryne were not aware of was that many of those that followed had actually initially been drawn out by the sudden appearance of lightning flying into the sky not much earlier and now wondered if perhaps what they now saw had something to do with it. Some tried calling out for answers but all within the entourage remained silent until they finally reached the Guild.

Upon entering Aiz, Phryne, and Ottar discovered it was quite busy, despite the time of day.

"What was that light?" Aiz heard coming from the counter.

"We're investigating and will have answers for you shortly," Eina said, trying her best not to sound tired given that this felt like the hundredth time she'd heard that question in the last hour.

She and everyone else present, however, shifted their attention the moment Shakti and her three escortees entered the Guild.

"Wallenstein-san?" the half elf said, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"This way," Shakti said, the three following after her.

"Shakti!" Everyone turned to find Royman approaching her. "Have you any more information on the lightning from earlier? And what are these three…" his eyes grew nervous when he noticed just who the three were. "Doing here?"

"We had reports of two high-level adventurers fighting in the streets. Upon investigating, we discovered Phryne Jamil, Aiz Wallenstein, and Ottar with weapons drawn. Ottar says he intervened to stop further bloodshed and given that only Phryne and Aiz are injured, it appears that it was only they who were fighting. However, I asked Ottar to accompany us so that we could get a better picture of the situation and discover if they had anything to do with the incident with the lightning."

The people within the Guild people to chatter at this new information as Royman contemplated what he'd heard.

"Hm. Alright. We need to get to the bottom of this. Take them to the back. No need to make this any more of a scene," he grumbled, seeing that word was already spreading.

"Of course," Shakti responded. "I also took the liberty of sending word to Loki and Freya familia of what's transpiring. They should be here relatively shortly. They may have more information on the fight and the lightning that went up from the Pleasure District."

"Hm, they may, or they may just cause us more trouble."

"That's a risk we will have to take if we are to get to the bottom of this and appease the masses," she said.

"Said like a true member of Ganesha familia," Royman growled. "And what of Phryne Jamil? Has she found a new familia?"

"Hestia familia," the toad responded.

"Hestia familia?" Shakti questioned.

"You are not a member of Hestia familia," Aiz growled, her eyes warning Phryne away from another such blatant lie.

"Well, not yet, but they'll have me signed up and ready to go by tomorrow."

"Have you sent word to Hestia familia?" Royman asked Shakti.

"No, and I don't think it's necessary. As of right now she is not a member of their familia, even according to her own word. Dragging them needlessly into the matter seems unnecessary."

"Achilles is the most likely culprit for the lightning from earlier," Royman pointed out.

"True, but he is also not a member of Hestia familia and it seems wisest to wait until we have more information before we expand this investigation."

Royman growled again, obviously hoping to find a chance to punish Achilles, but seeing the potential for an accusation to bite him in the future, he relented, much to Shakti's relief. Not only did she not wish to drag Hestia familia into the matter if it was unneeded, but if Achilles was indeed behind the lightning from earlier she recognized that that meant the ex-captain was in less than pleased mood, and she was in no way interested in pushing his patience.

With that, the three were escorted to the back rooms where Phryne and Aiz had their wounds attended to.

* * *

Things were uncomfortably silent for a long time as they all waited for Loki and Freya familia to arrive and it was making Aiz anxious.

"_I did what I thought was best. Was I wrong?"_ she wondered. Then she remembered Bell's words. The fear in his eyes, and that notion was discarded as anger reappeared in her heart. "_No. She hurt him,"_ she turned a malevolent gaze towards a now healed Phryne who, feeling her eyes, turned and returned her glare.

"Calm yourselves," Ottar ordered, causing the two to turn their gazes to him. "Fight now and they're will be no way either of you will escape unpunished."

"I'm not the one who started the fight!" Phryne roared.

"You hurt Bell," Aiz countered.

Ottar's eyes darkened.

"_She what?"_

Before he could learn more, Shakti returned.

"Your familias have arrived."

The four of them entered the hall and began to make their way through the Guild. Aiz had expected them to simply move to a different office, but as time went on and they delved deeper and deeper into the Guild, she realized that wasn't the case.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Given the seriousness of the situation, both with who was involved and their respective familias, it has been decided that Ouranos-sama himself will take charge," Shakti answered.

"Ouranos-sama?"

Finally, the three arrived at the end of the Guild where Ouranos, and their fates, resided.

Shakti pushed open the door and they all walked in. Aiz was surprised by the number of people present. Royman, Loki, Finn, Gareth, Riveria, where all present as she expected, but along with them were Tiona, Tione, Bete, and Lefiya, all looking anxious or concerned. On the other side of the room was Freya herself, alongside all the highest level members of her familia. Naturally, only Freya seemed undisturbed by all that was transpiring, her usual smile in place. Finally, off at the far end of the room, sitting upon a throne, looking down on all of them, was Ouranos himself.

Aiz had never seen the god before, and found herself somewhat mystified by him. Unlike other gods, he appeared old, with white hair and wrinkles, yet his gaze held a power and firmness that she had never felt from any other god, including Loki.

"My my, Ottar, what kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into?" Freya teased.

"My apologies, Freya-sama. I had no intention of causing any trouble, especially not for you," the King responded.

"That remains to be seen," Ouranos stated, his eyes boring down on all three of the adventurers intensely. "You are all here because you are believed to be involved in incidents that have disturbed the peace of this city, beginning with the lightning that appeared from the Pleasure District and ending with the fight in the main square." That seemed to catch the attention of the familia present, especially the Loki familia. "I will now give you time to explain yourselves, starting with you, Ottar, given that you say that you only intervene to prevent further violence."

"Yes, Ouranos-sama," Ottar replied being completely respectful. "I had just exited the Dungeon when these two entered the main square. It was clear that they were in the midst of combat and had been for some time, if their injuries were any evidence. I intervened just as Aiz Wallenstein was about to strike a lethal blow on Phryne Jamil."

The Loki familia was shocked.

"That's right! She attacked me out of nowhere! Tried to kill me!" Phryne cried.

"There's no way Aiz-san would do that!" Lefiya cried.

"Silence."

Instantly the room went quiet, so was the power of the god of Orario itself.

"Aiz Wallenstein, is this true?" he asked.

Only Phryne, Ottar, and Ouranos showed no surprise when she nodded.

"It is. I tried to strike down Phryne Jamil."

"Aiz," came the voices of numerous members of her familia.

"_How interesting,"_ Freya thought, her smile growing.

"What reason did you have for such an action?" Ouranos pressed on, unaffected by her answer.

Once more, many within the room found themselves surprised, if not outright shocked as the Sword Princess's eyes turned malevolent.

"She hurt Bell."

That got everyone's attention.

"_So that's why she ran off,"_ Riveria thought, a weight lifting off her heart as the threat of Achilles was unburdened from her.

Her familia was much the same, as they came to understand that their friend, though acting rashly, had acted in such a way that might actually, not, earn the ire of the Olympian. However, they were alone in their relief and a certain goddess of beauty had lost her smile and now carried a deep frown upon her lips.

"_She...what?"_

Freya's eyes turned to the toad-like woman who, lucky for her, was too focused on glaring at Aiz to notice that terrible visage now pointed directly at her.

Ouranos finally reacted as his frown deepened and he leant forward. Ever since Bell had rescued the Xenos, going above and beyond what anyone could expect of him, he had felt indebted to the boy and so the concept of someone hurting him did not sit well with him.

"Explain," he said.

"I can help with that," Finn said stepping forward, wanting to take some of the heat off Aiz, especially after seeing the anger she displayed. "As well as shed some light on what happened with the lightning earlier. No pun intended."

Ouranos turned his gaze to the prum.

"Very well, Finn Deimne," Ouranos said.

"A few hours ago we, along with half of Orario I suspect, noticed a bolt of lightning shoot into the air from the Pleasure District. Naturally, we suspected Achilles Caesar and, given our past with him, we knew that if he was shooting off lightning, he was quite angry about something," he began.

"He does wear his emotions on his sleeve," Freya said, now distracted from Phryne by the memory of her love's display of power.

"Freya," Ouranos warned.

The goddess bowed her head, allowing for Finn to continue.

"Myself, Gareth, Riveria, Tiona, Tione, Bete, Lefiya, and Aiz all headed for the Pleasure District and arrived just in time to meet up with Achilles who was just exited the district. However, he wasn't alone. Bell Cranel was accompanying him."

"Both had entered the Pleasure District?" Ouranos questioned.

"Yes. From the looks of it, Cranel-san had accompanied Achilles in order to restrain him."

"Some restraint," Royman grumbled.

"Had Cranel-san not been there I suspect Achilles may have tried to destroy the district," Finn pointed out.

"_Wouldn't that have been a sight,"_ Freya thought with a smile, even as she felt many eyes turn her way.

"Whatever the case, we confronted Achilles and inquired about the lightning. His response was to say that he had…" Finn bit his lip, feeling the desperate need instead to bite his now throbbing thumb. "That he learned some, as he put it, 'unfortunate information'."

Something about the way Finn said, put everyone on edge, and no one failed to notice how the members of Loki familia tensed, their fists tightening and anger filling their eyes.

"What was this 'unfortunate information'?" Ouranos questioned.

"Achilles was reluctant to inform us, but I noticed that Bell Cranel seemed to have become extremely uncomfortable all of a sudden and so asked him for more details, at which point, Achilles tried to shut the conversation down."

"Had we been wise, we would have allowed him," Riveria said, unintentionally loud enough for everyone to hear.

"What do you mean by that, Riveria Ljos Alf?"

Realizing her mistake, Riveria sighed and stepped forward.

"After some pressing Bell-san revealed to us some...personal and...disturbing information," she said, desperate not to reveal any more.

Unfortunately this was not enough for any present, besides the Loki familia, especially not Ouranos or Freya.

"That information being?" Freya pressed, not in any mood for games when it came to her Bell's well-being.

"I'm afraid I must press you on this Riveria. What information did he reveal?" Ouranos pressed.

Riveria looked at the ground. She did not want to answer. She desperately did not want to.

"It's not my place to reveal it," she answered, hoping beyond hope they wouldn't make her reveal what she had no right to reveal.

"Riveria," Ouranos stated.

"Phryne Jamil attempted to rape him."

The room fell deathly silent as everyone turned to the one who spoke.

Aiz's face was contorted into a mass of rage. Her eyes burned with a fury that could burn a city and her nails now bit so hard into her palm that blood dripped from her fingers.

"What?" Freya asked, her eyes wide and her gloves groaning under the pressure of her own tightened fists.

Ottar was little better. While he held nowhere near the affection his lady or even the members of Loki familia had for the young adventurer, he did respect the boy, perhaps even admired his drive, his words earlier with Bell being utterly genuine. Added onto the fact that the boy was his mistress's beloved it was easy to understand why he was utterly furious to the point that steam began to roll off him.

"Tsk, the hell you talkin' about? I would have given him the time of his life! If Haruhime hadn't gotten in the way we would have had a great time."

Eyes of flaming rage pointed at her from all over the room as the entirety of the Loki familia, Ottar and Freya, and even to some extent, Ouranos himself, glared at the woman.

"Who'd want to even touch you, you nasty toad!" Tiona cried.

"Don't talk shit just because you're not as beautiful as I am!" Phryne replied.

"Have you ever looked into a mirror? I'm surprised it didn't crack at the sight of you!" Bete added.

"You're just mad because I didn't want you, doggy!"

The tension in the room threatened to boil over, when Ouranos held up his hand.

"Enough," he ordered.

The adventurers went silent as ordered, though the scornful eyes persisted. However, this lasted only a moment as everyone began to notice the room suddenly felt colder.

Everyone's eyes turned to the source and a cold sweat dripped down their skins.

"_Oh shit,"_ Loki thought.

It is not quite possible to describe in mortal words the visage that was now Freya. Anger. Fury. Rage. Contempt. None could fully comprehend what was now presented before those within the room. However, if one was allowed one word, just one word to best describe what they saw, it would have to be: cold.

The rage, fury, and hate that Freya currently felt at this new information regarding her dearly beloved was of such an extent it was as if, to keep itself burning, it had consumed all the heat present, leaving behind only a terrible, bone-chilling cold. A cold so great that more than one of those present to bear witness to her contempt found their teeth chattering.

"You. Tried. To. Rape. My. Bell?"

The words, so precise, so quiet, yet so powerful, caused Phryne to fall backwards.

"Wh-wh-wh-wha-," she couldn't even form words to respond.

"You. Tried. To. Rape. My. Bell?!"

Suddenly, light filled the room as Freya activated her Arcanum, startling and dazzlingly all present. All except Phryne, of course, who finally seemed to understand how much trouble she was in.

"Freya!"

The goddess turned, finding the cold eyes of Ouranos staring down at her.

"Calm yourself," he ordered.

As enraged as she was, Freya knew not to disobey him. Indeed, if he or Loki wanted to at the moment, they could send her back to Heaven for breaking the rules. Recognizing this, she deactivated her Arcanum and took a deep breath.

"My apologies," she said, her eyes boring into the floor for fear that if she saw the toad again, she would re-activate her power and be sent to Heaven.

With Freya now calm, or as calm as she could be, Ouranos turned back to the matter at hand.

"So this all stems back to what happened to Bell Cranel? Is that correct Finn Deimne?" he asked.

After taking a moment to regain his senses, Finn nodded.

"Yes, Ouranos-sama."

"That explains the lightning," the elder god said. "But what about you, Aiz Wallenstein? What was your role in all of this?"

All eyes turned to her, perhaps none more intently than Freya who despite her disdain for the Sword Princess for holding her love's eye, had earned the goddess's appreciation for attempting to kill the man-eating creature.

"After learning about what happened to Bell all I felt was anger," she explained. "I could not let what she did stand, so I went in search of her and eventually found her. I then told her to draw her weapon, which she did and we began our battle. It ended when Ottar intervened in the main square in front of the Tower of Babel."

"Did you try and kill, Phryne Jamil?"

Aiz was silent for a moment as she reflected on what had transpired.

"That was not my original intention," she said. "Initially, I simply wanted to punish her for hurting Bell, but I suppose, by the end, I did fully intend to kill her."

Concerned eyes pointed her way from her familia. Not a single one blamed her for her response, not even Loki or Lefiya, but now that she had confessed, there was no way she would go unpunished.

"Hm," Ouranos leaned back in his seat. "This situation is serious. The city was in a state of tension even before the events of this night and now we are but an inch from full blown panic. Many have acted irresponsibly, from Achilles and his lightning, to your fight, Aiz Wallenstein. Punishment, therefore, must be doled out."

Heads bowed. Some in sadness. Some in acceptance. They knew this was how it must be.

"However." Everyone looked up. "The mitigating circumstances cannot be ignored in good faith. Achilles, if what is said is true, acted as a protective father, yet still showed restraint, despite his rage. He has also not been allowed a chance to explain the situation himself and should be provided the opportunity. Shakti," he called.

"Yes, Ouranos-sama?" the captain replied, startled to suddenly be addressed.

"Tomorrow, you will go and bring Achilles here so that I may question him. From there, I will decide what should be done."

"Yes, Ouranos-sama," she said with a bow.

"Aiz Wallenstein."

Aiz turned to the god.

"Your actions were irresponsible and endangered many. However, defending your friends is a noble position and I shall take it into account. Therefore, you will be fined for your crimes, the amount of which will be decided on a later date."

Relief washed over the Loki familia and they even allowed themselves to smile.

"I understand, Ouranos-sama, and I apologize for my actions," she said, bowing.

"Good. Freya," Ouranos turned to the goddess.

"Yes?"

"Your familia has done Orario a service tonight and thus will be rewarded. However, please refrain from using your power henceforth. Do so again, and I will return you to Heaven."

Freya, her smile now returned, bowed obediently.

"Of course, Ouranos-sama."

"Now, Phryne Jamil."

All eyes turned to the still frozen toad.

"For some time now the Guild has heard of your lascivious actions. Indeed, the rumors indicate that you do not simply force yourself on your victims, but end up using them until their bodies can no longer take your punishment and they expire."

That little detail had not been shared with many in the room and their fury returned instantly. Ouranos, though, continued as if not noticing.

"However, we had no definitive proof of this, effectively only rumor, and given the nature of how Orario is run, we were not willing to risk an incident on word of mouth. That said, given your words, which one could interpret as a confession, it appears that what has reached the Guild's ears is indeed true. Thus you shall be punished. Now, seeing as we cannot banish you for fear of the damage you could do in the outside world or against Orario should you join with hostile elements, then we must find another method. Many, including some in this very room I imagine, would say you deserve to be executed." Phryne finally reacted as her eyes widened and her skin went pale. "Ironically enough, you may wish to thank Aiz Wallenstein for, had she not decided to take matters into her own hands and inflict a punishment of her own variety onto you, your punishment may well have been just that. However, given that she has inflicted a level of punishment on you, and because I do not approve of capital punishment, your punishment shall be imprisonment under the Guild's authority and supervision until such time as your debt to Orario is paid, if it is ever determined to be so."

Normally, Phryne would have raged against such a sentence. Screamed and even physically fought against it, but given that she was escaping the death penalty, she decided against it. Not only that, but she understood that, had she been released or even exiled, someone in this room would have come after her and ended her life, and given the wanton hatred the goddess of beauty had shown earlier, Phryne had a pretty good idea of who that someone would have been.

"I-I understand," she said.

"Good, then this meeting is adjourned. Unless someone here has something else to add."

No one did. The Loki familia was happy with the results. Aiz wouldn't face too harsh a punishment and Phryne would be locked away. It wasn't perfect in their eyes, but it was certainly better than it could have been. Freya was not too pleased by the results, wanting to punish the toad herself and far more severely, but there was little even she could do against Ouranos, and in the end, Phryne was punished and her Bell was still pure and alive. That, plus the information of Haruhime's involvement in his rescue placated her as the renard now more than interested her or even held her goodwill. Now she had earned Freya's affections and would reap the rewards of that fact.

"Then you are all excused."

Everyone bowed, even the goddesses, and departed.

Once they were outside the room, Aiz turned to her familia and bowed deeply.

"I am terribly sorry for my actions and the trouble I caused all of you."

Her familia all smiled at her.

"We're not mad at you, Aiz," Riveria said.

"You're not?" Aiz asked, clearly confused.

"No. If anything we're relieved."

"Why?" Aiz asked, now even more confused.

"I'll explain once we get back home, but let's just say, we averted disaster," Riveria answered.

"Meaning no angry ex-captain coming to kick our shit in," Bete commented.

No one could help but show some sign of relief at that.

"And I'm just glad that you're okay, Aiz-tan!" Loki declared before hugging the Sword Princess who, for once, allowed the hug, partly out of guilt for causing them trouble, even if they said otherwise, and partly because she was still confused.

_"Well, as long as they're happy, I guess it's fine."_

* * *

The Freya familia entered the walls of their home where Freya then dismissed all of them, besides Ottar.

Leaving behind the furious adventurers whose blood still boiled at the toad for enraging their goddess and at Bell Cranel for warranting such a response, Freya and Ottar made their way to her room.

Entering, Freya immediately went over and sat down on her bed.

"Well, that was quite something," she said.

Ottar kneeled before her.

"My apologies for causing you so much trouble, my lady. I will do whatever is necessary to make up for my crime."

"Trouble?" the goddess asked. "You caused me no trouble, Ottar. Indeed, your actions are the reason the Guild is now rewarding us, signally we are now back in their good graces. Not only that," she got up and strode up to him. Reaching out, she gently stroked his cheek and raised his head so that he was looking at her. "If not for you I would have never known how my Bell was almost taken away from me nor how important Haruhime was in his survival."

"My lady?"

She smiled at him, and not her usual, mysterious smile, but a genuine, grateful one.

"You deserve to be rewarded, Ottar. Ask of me anything and I shall bestow it."

"I want nothing but to continue serving you, my lady."

"Then you shall," she said, bending down to kiss his cheek. "And on that note, I have a task for you."

"Anything, my lady."

"My beloved Bell has been hurt by that creature. I wish to comfort him. Not only that, but Haruhime has earned my affection as well for her part in his rescue. I wish to thank her. At the nearest possibility, I'd like you to bring them to me."

Remembering what had transpired earlier with Bell, Ottar spoke.

"It may actually be wiser if you request them to come yourself."

Intrigued, Freya asked the obvious question.

"And why is that?"

"Today I actually came across Bell Cranel by chance in the Dungeon. Alone."

"Oh?" her interest grew. "I'm surprised that was possible. After recent events I would have assumed his familia and Achilles would have ensured that did not happen."

"I thought much the same, but I believe I know why," seeing his goddess was hanging on his every word, he continued. "He appeared to be in a state of confusion. Like he was trying to figure something out. That something, I learned, was why you love him."

"Oh?" she repeated, though now her words came out with a hint of desperation and her breath grew a little heavier.

"I explained how it was because you saw who he was. Who he really was. You saw how his aura shined. Saw his need to be a hero. The drive of his soul, and that this is what drew you to him."

"And how did he respond to that?" Freya's breath was now ragged, as she waited, with desperate impatience for his answer.

Ottar smiled.

"He bowed, thanked me, and told me that, should you win his trust he would not be opposed to speaking with you and getting to know you better."

Pleasure pulsed through Freya's veins as she took that in, and her smile turned euphoric.

"He's opening up to me," she all but gasped out.

"It seems so, my lady."

"He wants to come to me."

"If you can earn his trust," Ottar stated. "And I think that a more direct, honest approach would work better on that front."

"I think you're right, Ottar," she purred.

Things were silent for a moment as Freya basked in the idea of bringing Bell to her and Ottar basked in the joy of his goddess. However, the King was surprised when the euphoric look on his goddess's face suddenly intensified, her smile grew, and a laugh suddenly erupted from her lips.

"This is too perfect," she declared.

Confused, Ottar nonetheless waited for his lady to continue.

"Not only is Bell opening up to me, but I now have the key to winning Achilles as well."

"How so, my lady?"

She smiled brightly at him.

"Bell is Achilles's son. And Haruhime is the one that Achilles wishes Bell to be with. If I bring them together would that not please my dear Olympian?"

Realization hit Ottar and he soon found himself smiling.

"That would indeed, my lady."

"And should I win both their affections would they not, in turn, bring Achilles to me?"

"That seems very likely, Freya-sama."

"So, it appears Ottar, that should I wish to claim Bell and Achilles, I must first claim my new, dearly beloved renard. She, my dear Haruhime, is the key. The key to claiming all three of them."

* * *

The Loki familia, in its entirety finally, returned home and let out a breath of relief.

"Today's really been something," Finn stated.

"Indeed," Gareth said.

"Something crazy," Loki complained.

"Well, it appears to finally be over," Riveria said.

"Don't you go and jinx us," Loki warned.

Riveria smiled and actually went up to the wooden doors and knocked on them.

"There," she said.

A few smiles appeared and even a chuckle or two.

Aiz, for her part, was glad everyone was at ease, but still felt guilty about her part in worrying them.

"I am sorry for worrying all of you," she said.

"We're just glad everything worked out in the end," Riveria reiterated.

Bete tsked.

"Speak for yourself," he said before going up to Aiz. "That Zeus bastard is fucking pissed at you and looked ready to rip our guts out because you ran off."

"Bete," Finn said, exhaustion in his voice.

"I…I don't understand," Aiz said.

"I believe that's my cue," Riveria said. "Come Aiz, there's something I need to explain to you."

"A-Alright. Goodnight everyone," she called.

"Goodnight," they returned.

Aiz and Riveria made their way up to Aiz's room where Riveria had Aiz sit down on her bed while she took a seat in front of the girl.

"Aiz, you remember that discussion we had some years ago about sexual intercourse?"

Aiz nodded.

"Yes. Your face was red for most of it."

Riveria blushed.

"Like that."

Her blush deepened.

"Yes well, for most, including myself, it's a bit of an uncomfortable topic. That said, I explained to you the general, mechanical, and technical concepts of it, as well as the potential repercussions, however there is a bit more to it and that. Quite a bit more in fact," Riveria explained.

"What else is there?" Aiz questioned.

"There are the social aspects of it. In this case I wish to focus on the perceptions of virtue or, what some might call, 'cleanliness'."

Aiz's confusion heightened, but she was content to listen.

"You see, Aiz, there are some stigmas to sex. Yes it can be a pleasurable act that releases tension and can even bring people together, but it's not always so pleasant as that, and some have a very negative view of sex and sexual acts."

"Why's that?"

"It's hard to say for certain, but you remember what I told you about the potential consequences of sex? About the diseases?"

"Yes. You told me that many diseases can be caused by sexual intercourse."

"That's right. Perhaps that's the reason many view sex as a dirty act, even if they don't consciously understand it. Whatever the case, I want to focus on that concept of 'dirty' and 'cleanliness' and connect to the idea of virtue. You know what virtue is, yes?"

"Doing the right thing?"

"It's a bit more complicated than that, but that effectively is the idea of it when you strip it to the bare minimum. So, to have virtue is have goodness. To lack it is to lack goodness. Following me so far?"

"I believe so," Aiz answered.

"Good. Now, you need to understand that society often views those who have not had sex as virtuous or 'clean', I want you to really focus on that word. Clean. The only way to get rid of that virtue or 'cleanliness' is to have sex. To partake in a dirty act. Do I still have you?"

"Yes," Aiz answered again.

"Good. Now, I want you to think back to what happened with Bell when it told us what happened with Phryne."

Aiz's expression turned vicious.

"I know. I know, I don't like it either. What she did was horrid, and the fact that it could have ended so terribly frightens and angers me," Riveria said, attempting to placate her. "But now I want you to think on Bell's last words. The ones he directed towards you."

Aiz thought for a moment.

"He said nothing happened. That she, Phryne, was going to use an aphrodisiac, but that Haruhime rescued him before that could happen."

"Do you remember how he said all this?" Riveria pushed.

"He seemed...afraid. Like something bad was about to happen."

"That's right. And something bad did happen."

"What?"

"You ran away."

Aiz was now utterly confused.

"But I didn't run away. I went to find Phryne," she said.

"Yes but Bell, nor we, for that matter, knew that. For all intents and purposes, you fled from him."

"But why would I flee from him? That doesn't make sense."

"That's where what I'm telling you about cleanliness now comes into play," Riveria explained. "You see, Aiz, the reason why Bell was so afraid, so desperate to tell you that Phryne didn't do anything to him, was because he was afraid you'd think of him as unclean."

Aiz's brow furrowed.

"But that doesn't make any sense. She didn't touch him, and besides that she tried to force herself on him. Why would he be unclean?"

Riveria smiled.

"He wouldn't be. Not really. But that's not how everyone views it and it's certainly not how Bell viewed it at the moment. He was concerned you would think of him as 'unclean', 'dirty' or 'unvirtuous' because of what Phryne did; an idea that you effectively confirmed when you turned and ran away from him. You unintentionally made it appear that you thought Bell was disgusting, tainted person."

Finally, the pieces began to fall into place, and as Aiz understood more and more what had transpired, her eyes widened more and more and her heart beat ever more rapidly as she felt a part of her die inside as the weight of her mistake came crashing down onto her soul.

"I need to go!" she cried, jumping to her feet.

"Wait, Aiz!" Riveria jumped in front of her.

"I need to go! I need to apologize! I have to...I have to…!" she could barely breathe as she began to hyperventilate as her mind fell to pieces at the degradation she had unknowingly cast on Bell filled her entire conscious.

"You will. You will apologize," Riveria vowed to her. "But not right now. A great deal has happened and it would be exceedingly unwise to go to him right now."

"But I have to...I have to...I can't let this…"

"Breathe, Aiz. Breathe. Deep breaths," Riveria told her. "You will get to apologize. I promise you that. But right now is not the proper time. Likely, Bell is asleep and neither his familia, nor Achilles will be in any mood to see you right now. I know it's difficult, but you must wait until tomorrow."

"But...But..."

"Tomorrow. Only a few hours away. That's all, Aiz," Riveria stated.

Aiz was silent for a moment. She was absolutely desperate to go and apologize, her soul screamed for her to do so, but Riveria was hardly, if ever wrong. If she said she should wait until tomorrow, she should wait until tomorrow.

"W-Will you go with me?" she asked.

Riveria smiled.

"Of course. I actually suspect that all of us are going to have to go with you just to ensure that Achilles doesn't do something drastic."

"He hates me, doesn't he?"

Riveria sighed.

"I don't think it goes that far, but he's certainly angry at you right now."

"I didn't know," Aiz said meekly.

"And that's my fault for not explaining it to you," Riveria said before sitting them both down on the bed. "Sex, sexual relations, societal expectations, and romantic partnerships are difficult to understand for even the wisest. Even my explanation to you about cleanliness is not completely true."

"What do you mean?"

"The concept of cleanliness and virtue in relation to sex do exist, but it's not universal and its rules are in constant flux. Ishtar familia and the Pleasure District, for example, hold no such negative view with regards to sex. If anything, they view sex in the highest light. As an form of art. A sort of release for the aggression of men, or so I hear. Indeed, many view men who haven't had sex are seen as lesser, pathetic, or unmanly."

"They do?" Riveria nodded. "Then why was Bell so afraid?" Aiz asked.

"Likely, for him, he does not share that viewpoint."

"_Love has a funny way of focusing our desires,"_ Riveria thought with a smile.

"As I said," she continued. "It's all very complicated. A man who has a lot of sex might be viewed in a very positive light by some. A masculine, desirably individual, full of power and vigor. For others, they will view him like a mangy dog. A filthy creature. Lascivious. Lustful. Perverted. Women also have their own confusing rules and stigma. A woman who has lots of sex may be viewed as unclean. Slovenly or tainted by some. Others, however, will view her effectively as a goddess. Ishtar herself was a good example of this. A personification of desire that encouraged pleasure and the release of tension, frustration, even rage through sexual acts. There are no concrete rules for sex, even if perhaps there should be. Each person must decide for themselves what the rules are and what they are willing, and unwilling, to do."

Once more, Aiz fell silent, her mind taking in all that had been explained to her and trying to wrap her head around it all.

"Sex is weird," she finally said.

Riveria could not help but burst out laughing.

"I cannot deny that," she said, trying to stifle her giggles. "It's very confusing. But, when done right, it is an act that can bring pleasure to its participants, and even bring them so close that it's as if their hearts have combined into one," her smile grew as she saw the look of wonderment Aiz grew, "However, when done wrong. Well...I believe Phryne personified what that's like."

The look of wonderment disappeared from Aiz, replaced by anger and discontent. However, it did not last long as she once more began to think. After a moment, she spoke again.

"Bell could never be dirty. No matter how many or how few women he'd be with. He'd never be dirty."

Riveria was quite surprised by that, but very pleasantly so.

"That's quite the high praise, Aiz. Few would say that about anyone."

"It's the truth," Aiz said firmly.

Riveria's eyes softened as her smile returned.

"I believe he would say the same thing about you."

Aiz turned to her, surprised.

"You think so?"

Riveria nodded.

"I do. In case you haven't noticed, Aiz, Bell thinks very highly of you."

"_One day, you'll find someone who you'll always want to be with like I always want to be with your father, and when you do, dear Aiz, don't let them go."_

Her mother's words echoed in her mind and without even realizing it, she began to smile.

Riveria's mouth fell open as the single most dazzling smile she had ever seen on Aiz's lips, one even greater than after Bell had forgiven her, suddenly grew before her.

"I think very highly of him too."

Riveria's heart swelled.

"_She's almost there. Just one more push and their two hearts will join."_

"I'm very glad to hear it," she said.

* * *

And finished. I am so, SO sorry that took so long to put out. Things have been crazy lately. A job that's killing me and my desperate search for a new one, trying to be healthier and get into shape for the new year/decade, and trying to give my writing the time it deserves has made life quite hectic. But, enough complaining and giving non-excuses.

I do also want to apologize for the fact that this is actually only half the chapter I had in mind. I'm splitting it because this seemed like a good place to stop and you guys have been waiting, FAR too long for another chapter, so I hope you can forgive me.

That said, I do hope you enjoyed the chapter. Things are really starting to roll aren't they? Please tell me what you thought of the chapter, and criticisms, concerns, or mistakes I made. I do read your reviews and take them very seriously, so please, share away.

That said, thank you very much for joining me again on our little adventure and I will see you all next time. Bye for now.


	20. Chapter 20

Hello again, my dear readers! We're back and ready for another chapter. Got a bit of a mixed reaction to the last chapter. Hopefully this one will be a bit more up to standard. I do hate to disappoint and there's always room to improve. Anywho, time to finally resolve our little issue between our dear Bell and Aiz, so off we go.

I do not own Danmachi

* * *

Achilles sat next to Bell's bed, smoking.

He had been there for hours, his eyes screaming bloody murder, doing nothing more than smoking his pipe and occasionally calming his son whenever he began to fidget in his sleep, often with a muttering of the name "Aiz",

Naturally, this did not please him in any way shape or form and it was a borderline miracle that he had not bitten through his pipe at this point given the number of times his jaw had clenched.

His mind was turned away from his rage for a moment when Bell began to move about again, his face scrunched in pain.

"It's okay, Bell. It's okay," Achilles soothed, his hand stroking his son's head.

Bell began to calm down, but once more uttered out.

"Aiz...please."

Once more, rage filled the newly minted father.

"_You'd better have a damn good excuse, Sword Princess."_

* * *

Aiz had barely slept. Indeed, if Riveria had not ordered her to do so, she wouldn't have slept at all as what she had unintentionally done to Bell weighed on her mind. However, when the sun finally peaked through her windows signally a new day had finally arrived, she burst out of her room and ran immediately to Riveria.

She arrived at the elf's room, and was prepared to knock, when the door suddenly opened, revealing a very much awake and dressed Riveria.

"I thought you'd want to leave as early as possible."

Surprised, Aiz still managed to respond with a resolute nod.

"Alright, let's go get the others, we'll need their support if we're to get through Bell's familia and Achilles. Luckily, I warned them last night of your desire to apologize to Bell as soon as possible, so with any luck, they'll be awake."

Aiz nodded, and the two made their way through their home to gather the others, however, this proved unnecessary as they soon discovered all the others had already gathered. Even more interestingly, Shakti was also present.

"Figured 'as soon as possible' meant crack of dawn," Finn said with a smile. "And before you ask, I asked Shakti to accompany us to give more credence to the events of last night and restrain Achilles," he explained.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience," Aiz said with a bow.

"You don't need to apologize, Aiz-san. I needed to go get Achilles anyway so that he could speak with Ouranos-sama. Besides, as the captain of the Ganesha familia, I am quite used to late nights and early mornings," Shakti said with a smile.

"Still would have been nice to get a little more sleep," Bete complained.

"I'm sorry," Aiz apologized again.

"Oh, enough of that, I don't think anyone here is mad at you or doesn't completely understand why you did what you did," Gareth stated, getting nods from almost everyone. "That said, I think it's time we head off. The longer this has to simmer, the bigger the issue will be," Gareth said.

"I agree. No need to wait until Achilles boils over and decides, this time, to create a storm over the whole city."

Everyone nodded, the younger Loki members with notable vigor as the idea of Achilles creating a storm did not sit well with them.

With that, they departed Twilight Manor for the Hestia familia and a certain white-haired rabbit.

"_Please see reason, Achilles,"_ Riveria pleaded.

They made their way through the nearly empty city streets. This was slightly disconcerting given that, even at this early hour, there was usually more activity. It did not take long for any of them to realize that this likely had to do with all the events of yesterday.

"They're scared," Lefiya said out loud.

"It's hard to blame them. The city has seen more serious and chaotic action in the last few weeks then it had seen for years previous, and that's if we're being kind or foolish enough to forget the numerous other major incidents over the last few months. Freya's invasion of the Pleasure District and annihilation of Ishtar familia; yet another invasion by Ares; and the monsters that got loose in the city. They have every right to be concerned. As such we must make sure that this meeting goes well, not only for our sake, but for Orario," Riveria stated.

Everyone nodded, understanding fully how important what was about to happen truly was.

Finally, the Loki familia caught sight of the Hearthfire Manor and, with even more tense steps, they made their way the rest of the way until, finally, they arrived.

Taking a deep breath, Riveria rang the gate bell and waited.

Seconds ticked by, everyone growing more nervous with each one that passed, until a familiar voice answered.

"Hello?" Haruhime greeted.

Thankful that it was the renard, Riveria answered.

"Hello Haruhime-san. It's Riveria. I am here with the rest of my familia and Shakti from the Ganesha familia. We hoped we would be able to speak with Bell."

Things fell silent, a fact that did not sit well with any of them.

"I don't think that would be a good idea."

Riveria's eyes widened.

"Haruhime-san, I understand that you all must be quite upset, but I swear that there is a perfectly good explanation for what transpired last night. All we need to do is come inside and tell Bell directly."

"I want to believe you, Riveria-san," Haruhime said, her voice holding what Riveria soon realized was the closest thing to hostility the girl was capable of. "But Achilles explained things to us last night. If what he said was true then I'm not sure I can, in good conscience, let you inside."

"Haruhime-san, last night, a grave mistake was made. I admit that and take full responsibility, but that mistake can only be fixed if we are allowed to speak to Bell," Riveria pleaded.

Things fell silent again with everyone wondering if the fox girl had simply walked away, before her voice called out again.

"Wallenstein-san."

Aiz jumped.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Did you hurt Bell-sama?"

Pain and heartache filled every inch of Aiz's features as the knowledge of what she had unintentionally done dragged down her very soul.

"Yes," she confessed. "Though that is the last thing I would ever wish to do."

"_Aiz,"_ her familia thought as they looked at their tormented comrade.

"I see," Haruhime stated before things fell silent again.

They all waited, hoping this was not the end, but knowing that, short of forcing themselves in, which would not have been wise, there was little they could do if the renard decided to refuse them entry.

"Do you promise that this explanation will fix the issue and take away Bell-sama's pain?" she suddenly asked.

Relief and hope filled the Loki familia plus one and Aiz could not respond fast enough.

"Yes. I swear I will fix this. No matter what," she all but cried out.

"Very well," Haruhime said. "You may enter, but be warned, no one will be happy to see you and Achilles is in a mood that I don't think words could ever properly describe."

"Noted," Riveria said.

Relieved that the first hurdle had been completed, a few of the Loki familia let out the breath they had been holding before they all, plus Shakti, made their way to through the now opened gate, towards the entrance of Hearthfire Manor.

The moment they arrived at the doors, they opened, revealing an unsmiling Haruhime.

"Please come in," she said as politely as she could.

"Thank you," Riveria said as she and the others entered, doing her absolute best to prevent any even possibility of offense.

"Please wait here. I will gather the others. Please be prepared for them," the renard princess stated, receiving a few nods, before departing to gather the Hestia familia.

"Well, we made it through the front door," Finn said. Whether this was meant to be humorous in order to alleviate some of the tension is impossible to know given the tone failed to any sort of playfulness.

"Indeed," Riveria said.

Everyone was a bit tense as they waited for the Hestia familia to appear. Luckily they did not have to wait long as Hestia, Lili, Welf, Mikoto, and Ryuu soon appeared.

There was no questioning the hostility in each of their eyes. It mattered little that all those before them were allies as the pain of their captain was enough for every member of the Hestia familia to go to war with those before them, odds be damned, and every member of Loki familia knew this.

"Haruhime has informed us that you have come here to explain what happened last night," Hestia said, her voice so cold and unwelcoming her very eyes had changed from their usual sapphire blue to pale ice blue.

"Yes, as well as apologize for the misunderstanding," Riveria stated.

"It better be a damn good one."

Everyone turned their eyes and froze as the sight of the terrible embodiment of fury that was Achilles Caesar appeared before them alongside Haruhime, who took her place next to the rest of her familia. The only exception was Bete, who nearly choked as the suffocating smell of smoke overpowered his nose and almost made him vomit.

"And I mean both the misunderstanding and the apology," the ex-captain continued. "Else this conversation is going to be very short, yet end very loudly."

No one had any words for that and Riveria only managed to nod her head before asking the all important question.

"May we speak to Bell?"

Achilles made no reply, instead doing nothing more than to stare down at them long enough to make them sweat, before turning his eyes just enough to see Hestia. She, in turn, gave him a single nod. With that, he turned and walked away. Less than a minute later, the unwitting origin of all this fear and anger appeared.

"What's going on?" Bell asked, his voice tired and his eyes more red than usual. No one needed an explanation as to why this was. However, had they needed one, it was made completely transparent as Bell's eyes moved across the guests and finally landed on Aiz. The moment they did, his eyes widened and he began to noticeably shake, a fact that broke numerous hearts in the room, including Aiz's own. This, in turn, caused the hostility in the room to grow even further, and caused Achilles's grip on his sword to tighten to such an extent the skin around his knuckles began to tear and blood to slip through the cracks.

"It appears Aiz Wallenstein has something she wishes to say to you," Achilles said.

Bell's eyes shot to his father, his eyes devoid of the usual nervousness, excitement, and hope such a statement would normally have inspired, being replaced by a fear so deep that it actually stopped Achilles's heart for a moment.

In spite of this fear, Bell turned back to Aiz and, after a moment, began to make his way towards her.

"G-Good morning A-Aiz-san," he said, his voice shaking. "W-What did…" his voice caught. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Aiz found herself unable to speak. The way Bell had spoken. The misery. The fear. Normally it would have troubled her greatly to see him like this, but to know that she was the cause of it choked her to the point she could literally not speak. Naturally, her silence in response to his question did absolutely nothing to help with the situation, and her familia began to eye her ever more nervously, while the Hestia familia and Achilles eyed her with a somehow ever greater rage. Luckily, a mother knows when to step in.

"Aiz." The golden child turned to find Riveria next to her, giving her a reassuring smile. "It's okay. Just take a deep breath and say what you want to say," the tender elf said.

Soothed and, after a deep breath, in control of both her heart and her voice again, Aiz nodded and turned back to Bell.

Bell felt his breath catch as he met the Sword Princess's resolute eyes. However, he had but a moment to take them in before she bowed so deeply that she all but folded herself in half.

"I am very sorry for the hurt I have caused you due to the misunderstanding I created and beg your forgiveness!" she all but cried out.

Bell's mouth fell open as this was not what he had expected and had no idea what was going on.

"W-What are you apologizing for?" he asked.

Still in a bow, Aiz explained.

"Last night, when I left you and the others outside the Pleasure District, it was not because I, in any way, thought negatively of you. In fact, just the opposite. I was so angered by what you had told us that I departed in search of Phryne Jamil and, upon finding her, challenged her to combat."

The moment those words parted her lips, all the hostility of the Hestia familia, along with the pain radiating off of Bell, disappeared.

"You...you went to fight her?" the young man asked.

Noticing the change in his voice, Aiz finally looked up.

"Yes. To punish her for what she did to you. I…" her face contorted in pain and anger. "I couldn't let what she did, stand."

Bell was reeling. Last night he had felt utterly shattered after Aiz leapt away. The idea that she was disgusted by him had made his heart feel as if it had been ripped out and crushed before his eyes. But now, here she was, the girl who held his heart, saying not only did she not feel disgusted by him, but that, in fact, she had been so disgusted, so enraged by his treatment, that she sought out the offender to punish her. The relief he felt by that knowledge was something he would never be able to put into words, matched only by, if he dared admit it to himself, the giddiness at knowing how much Aiz evidently cared about him.

As all this emotion set in, Shakti stepped forward.

"I can confirm that this is all true," she said. "Last night my familia apprehended Wallenstein-san and Jamil-san in the main square, alongside Ottar who had intervened. After bringing them all to Ouranos-sama himself, the truth was revealed and the issue resolved."

The Hestia familia was unsure how to react. True, they no longer felt rage at Aiz, but that didn't mean they really knew what to do with this new information.

Luckily for them, Achilles decided to act and made his way over to his son.

"Bell." The young captain turned to him, his eyes shining with hope and joy. "Do you accept Aiz Wallenstein's apology?"

Bell smiled brightly.

"There's nothing to apologize for. She didn't do anything wrong. At least not to me."

Complete relief finally washed over the Loki familia, none more so than Aiz, who finally stood up straight and, seeing Bell's smiling face beaming at her, suddenly threw herself around him in a hug.

Hestia, Lili, and Ryuu were, of course, not pleased by the sight, but did not intervene. Welf, Mikoto, and Haruhime, meanwhile, smiled as they too felt relief fill them as their captain's pain was burned away into nothing.

Seeing the two hug, Achilles finally took his pipe out of his mouth, brought his other hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose, and sighed.

Suddenly, the pipe in Achilles's hand shattered into splinters, snapping everyone out of their pleased or, hug-induced angry stupors.

Everyone snapped their attention to the former captain as another sigh passed his lips.

"I know I am the last person who is allowed to say this, and you are all completely free to call me a hypocrite, as I will definitely be one, but," he looked at Aiz. "Please think before you act."

Riveria, Finn, Gareth, Welf, and Haruhime all chuckled and giggled at that, while a few annoyed snorts were heard from a certain werewolf and red-headed elf. Bell and Aiz however, who had not pulled away from their hug mind you, simply smiled, with the blonde maiden adding a nod.

"I will do that," she said.

"Good," said the now obviously exhausted Zeus familia leader. "Then, there's not really an issue. Now," he said, holding up the ruins of his pipe. "I need to go replace this, so if you'll all excuse me."

Achilles made his way to the door, passing by the relieved and smiling faces of the Loki familia, stopping a moment to look at Riveria, who smiled at him, though he was too mentally exhausted to return it.

"Pardon me, Achilles-san," Shakti said, stepping forward. "While I'm glad that everything here has worked out for the best, I must ask you to come with me. Ouranos-sama has asked that I bring you to him so that you could explain what happened last night with the lightning over the Pleasure District."

Achilles sighed again as his head fell.

"Can it wait? I'm not the kind of person who can go from blinding rage to completely tranquil in a few seconds and smoking helps me keep calm," he said.

"Well, I suppose so, but please don't be long, I don't like the idea of keeping Ouranos-sama waiting," Shakti responded.

"Will do. And thank you," Achilles said, giving her the biggest smile he could muster at the moment, which meant it was barely a smirk.

Bell watched this entire exchange from over Aiz's shoulder, having still not pulled away from the Sword Princess, when his eye caught sight of Riveria and an idea popped into his head.

Finally pulling away from Aiz he quickly made his way over to Riveria and tugged her sleeve causing her to turn to him.

"What is it, Bell?" the elf asked.

"Go after him," he whispered.

She was confused for a moment, but soon realized what he meant, which in turn caused her cheeks to begin to heat up.

"Take this chance," Bell pushed, not willing to let her try and deny the opportunity. "Follow him."

Embarrassed though she was by Bell's pushing, and by the feeling of eyes suddenly upon them, Riveria knew both that he wasn't going to take no for an answer and that he was right. This was a chance.

"Wait Achilles."

Achilles, with his hand on the door, turned around.

"What is it?"

"I'll come with you. Someone has to make sure you don't electrocute someone for stepping on your foot."

"_Subtle,"_ Finn thought as he and a few others chuckled.

Riveria, knowing this was a poor excuse, was fully prepared to accept any push back from Achilles, but was surprised when she found him not only not immediately countering her, but instead simply staring at her with tired eyes.

"You're not going to dispute that?" she asked.

"No," he replied instantly. "As I said, I'm not the kind of person that can go from burning rage to complete tranquility in a moment and I fully admit that it's entirely possible for me to explode on someone who doesn't deserve it at the moment. As such, having you come along is not a bad idea."

Silently stunned, Riveria nonetheless was pleased by the ease of which he accepted her tagging along and soon smiled.

"Then let's be off."

Achilles nodded.

"I'll be back soon," he called, managing a wave before turning back around and opening the door.

"Have fun," Finn called, the teasing tone he was using not being lost on Riveria who gave him a quick glare before following after Achilles.

The two now gone, those within the Hestia familia home who were not privy to Riveria's feelings, began to ask questions.

"What the heck was that?" Tiona asked, Tione and Lefiya joining her in looking between those who seemed to know something they didn't.

"Something smells fishy," Bete added.

Bell suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Aiz looking at him with a confused expression.

"Bell, what's going on?" she asked.

"Well…" Bell turned his eyes to his familia, who shrugged. "It's not really my place to say, but then again, maybe you guys can help."

"Help with what?" Aiz questioned.

"With...um...Riveria...and my dad."

* * *

Achilles and Riveria walked through the streets of Orario on their way to the shop Achilles had in mind to replace his pipe. Well, 'walk' wasn't quite the right word for either of them. Riveria, with the grace befitting both her status as an adventurer as well as being amongst the royalty of the high elves, strode down the street. Achilles, however, was by no means graceful. Given his mental strain and the physical exhaustion now hitting him, he more dragged or trudge along like a beast of burden. A starving, sleep-deprived beast of burden. This, naturally, was not lost on Riveria, who, both because she didn't like seeing her friend in this state and because this was effectively a mission to bring her closer to the man she loved, decided to act.

"Achilles, stop."

He did as requested, before turning to her.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice sounding even more exhausted than it had at the house.

"Wait here," she said.

Before he could inquire as to why, she strode off towards a nearby building. Not knowing what else to do, he waited as patiently as he could, desperately wishing, with each passing second, he had his pipe.

A few minutes later, Riveria returned with a bag in her hand.

"Here," she said, pulling out a muffin and a drink. "Eat and drink this. Both will help with the exhaustion and your mood."

"I must really look like shit if you're getting me these," he joked.

Riveria gave him a small smile.

"You look like a father who spent all night worried about his son," she returned.

He stared at her for a moment, his tired eyes boring into her tender ones, before sighing, rubbing his face, and taking the items from her.

"Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome."

The two continued on their way, Achilles slowly eating and drinking and regaining some of his vigor until he no longer looked like he was about to fall over.

"Thank you," he repeated, once he was finished.

"You're very welcome, I'm glad to see you looking better," she replied.

"If I looked half as bad as I felt I must have appeared quite abhorrent."

She chuckled.

"Tired. Not abhorrent. Hopefully, after we run this errand and you speak to Ouranos, you'll be able to get some sleep."

He nodded.

"And apologize to your Aiz."

That caught Riveria by surprise.

"Why would you need to apologize to her?"

"Because I thought the worst of her. Because I held not an ounce of charitable interpretation to her actions when she left us outside the Pleasure District. Worse, I was fully prepared to punish her, and do so severely, for the intentions I bestowed upon her."

Riveria was almost beaming after hearing this, happy that such a shift in perception had occurred.

"I don't think you need to apologize. Aiz herself, once she realized what she had unintentionally done, had felt awful. Indeed, I and the others thought the same as you did. We weren't so angry about it of course, but we were shocked. As such, though I appreciate the sentiment, I don't think it's necessary."

"Still, I can't go on like this."

Riveria's brow scrunched, but before she could ask what he meant by that, they finally arrived at the shop they had been aiming for and Achilles walked inside.

A few minutes later, the two exited, Achilles with his new pipe in hand, quickly working to get it alight and place it in his mouth.

Upon completing the task, he took a deep breath and then slowly let it out, the tension from his shoulders disappearing and his head dropping as he finally calmed down.

"That's better," he said.

Riveria smiled softly, but after a moment, decided to ask the question that had arose shortly earlier.

"Achilles, what did you mean by-."

"'I can't go on like this'?" he finished, looking up.

"Well…yes," Riveria admitted.

Achilles took another deep breath of his pipe and released a long stream of smoke before finally answering.

"I'm angry, Riveria," he began. "No, not angry. Furious. Frustrated. Enraged. Bitter. All. The damn. Time," he took another breath. "I didn't used to be like this. You remember how I used to be. Nothing got to me. My smiles were easy. I was energetic, bouncy even. Like my lightning flowed through my very veins, energizing me with a limitless supply."

Riveria did remember that. The way he used to move around, almost like a child. Dancing. Starting friendly fights and spars. Playing the piano with such passion and vigor it could pull anyone in with its rhythm and joy.

"You were quite energetic," she conceded.

"I was optimistic," he said. "I loved life. I loved people. I loved to do things. Anything. Everything!" he shouted, throwing his arms up. "Everything was an adventure. A new adventurer needed some tips or training? I was your guy. Someone was throwing a party? I was there to keep things moving. I'd like to think I was never irresponsible with my duties but…" his face fell and his demeanor filled with misery. "Then I lost everyone. Or...almost everyone," he gave her a sad smile. "And...I fled. I ran to the ends of the earth and in doing so...I think I lost myself along the way. And…" he paused, and Riveria noticed the way his jaw clenched around the pipe and his knuckles turned white. "I don't like who I've become."

Fear entered Riveria's heart.

"Achilles."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he quickly said. "It's just…when I look back on who I used to be and then compare it to who I am now I'm so...disappointed? Disgusted? I'm not sure."

"What could you be disappointed or disgusted with? You're Achilles Caesar. The first person to reach level seven. One of the greatest adventurers Orario has ever seen. A man of principle and honor, and who is showing himself to be a wonderful father," she stated firmly.

"An angry father," he quickly countered.

"Defensive," she returned back.

"Riveria," he took his pipe out of his mouth and leaned against the wall of the building. "I know I'm not a good man. For the love of the gods, I threatened your familia with destruction because I was pissed. You, Finn, Gareth, people I call my friends. That's monstrous! I know it. You know it. A brain-dead goblin would know it. I've lost myself. I've lost my spark. My optimism. My joy. I've become bitter. Miserable. Even hateful. Was I ever hateful to anyone twenty years ago? Would any of those words have been used to describe me?"

Riveria sighed.

"No," she admitted.

"No," he affirmed. "I'm not the person I used to be and I don't like this version of myself. I want to get my old self back. I want the energy. The optimism. The carefree nature. The joy. Gods the joy," he smacked his head against the wall. "I miss being able to smile easily."

Things fell silent. Achilles had no more to say, at least no more that he wished to bother Riveria with, and Riveria wasn't quite sure how to respond. Here was one of her oldest friends, the man she could now admit she loved, lost and in pain. She needed to help him. To ease his pain. To bring him back.

"Then I will help you."

He turned to her and chuckled bitterly.

"I'm not sure I can be helped."

"Well I know that's not true," she said, going up to him. "I've seen you with Bell. Seen the joy and easiness of which you smile in his presence. Your old self isn't gone, he just needs to be encouraged to come back."

Achilles allowed himself a smile at that.

"You really think he can come back?"

Riveria smiled back and took his hands in hers.

"I know _you_ can come back," she said without a shred of doubt.

He was about to laugh at her optimism, when his mind brought forward two things. One: that Riveria was holding his hands and doing so in a way that could only be described as tenderly or perhaps, affectionately. And two: her choice of words.

"_Come back."_

"_The only person that should be thanked is this woman for allowing you to come back to me."_

"_Come back to me."_

Riveria was a bit confused when Achilles's brow suddenly scrunched in thought and his eyes began to bore into her with an unknown intensity.

"Riveria, what am I missing?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, quite confused by the sudden shift.

"This is the second time you've said something like that, and the first time you ran from me afterwards. There's something I'm missing and I want to know what it is."

It took a moment for her to realize what he meant, but when she did, her face burst with color as every inch of her skin from her neck to the tips of her ears, turned red.

Following instinct, she turned to flee, only to find herself with a firm grip on her shoulder, pulling her back, spinning her around, and pushing her up against the wall.

"Oh no you don't. No running this time," Achilles said firmly.

"A-Achilles, l-let me go," she said, trying to sound firm, but finding her voice far too shaky for that.

"Not until you tell me what I'm missing."

She didn't want to answer, or...perhaps she did, but she couldn't. She wasn't ready to.

"Achilles...please…" she voice trailing off as she turned away.

Her breath hitched as she felt his hands on her cheeks and found them turning her face until he could place his forehead against hers, forcing her to look him in the eyes.

"Riveria. Help me to understand," he said gently.

Her face was practically on fire now.

"_He has to be doing this on purpose,"_ she thought as she stared into his eyes.

His gaze was so gentle. He wasn't doing this to be cruel, nor to pry. He just wanted to understand. To help; and knowing that made her fall even deeper in love with him.

"_He's really not so different from who he was deep down,"_ she thought, her heart swelling in contentment, even as it threatened to hammer out of her chest.

"Riveria," he said again, pulling her back to him. "What am I missing?"

Her heart yearned to tell him. It cried out for her to tell. Begging and pleading with her as it tried to convince her, telling her of the wonderful outcome that was sure to come. However, she was not ready, and so, for now, her heart was silenced.

Placing her hands on his, she pulled back and gave him a smile.

"I want to tell you. Truly I do. But I'm not ready. Not yet," she said, looking into his eyes. "But I will be soon," she vowed.

"_And if you keep acting like this, it'll be very soon,"_ she admitted to herself.

A tint of disappointment entered Achilles's eyes. She knew he wanted answers. Wanted to understand what he didn't know, but for now, he would have to be patient.

"Soon for me or soon for an immortal elf princess?"

She laughed.

"Soon for the both of us."

Still a bit disappointed, he nonetheless nodded and pulled back.

"Alright," he said, placing his pipe back in his mouth. "I'll wait. For now," he said, letting the threat hang in the air.

She laughed again.

"Thank you."

The two started their journey back. Initially it was quiet and peaceful, with both of them content to simply share in each other's company. However, as they made their way down one of Orario's many streets, Achilles piped up.

"Don't think I've given up on my girl."

Turning to him, Riveria's eyes asked her question.

"This revelation will likely put Aiz on an even greater pedestal in Bell's eyes than before," Achilles explained. "Not only does she not think poorly of him, returning her to her previous position of affection, but she fought for him, elevating her in his eyes, I have no doubt."

"Ah," Riveria said, now understanding.

"However, my girl is the one who saved him in the first place, which means I'm all the more dedicated to ensuring she ends up with Bell," Achilles continued resolutely.

"Haruhime." Achilles turned to her. "She's the one who saved him. That's who you want him to be with?"

"So you figured it out? Yeah, that's my girl. Hestia familia's resident fox princess, which sounds better than Sword Princess."

She laughed.

"I'll have to disagree with you on that."

He smiled.

"Well, whatever the case, I'm not giving up on her, and she's not giving up on Bell. Not to mention all the other girl's who're after him, at least two of whom are over-eager goddesses."

She laughed again, and his smile grew.

"Glad that I can get so many laughs out of you, you always did have a nice laugh."

She turned away to hide her blush.

"_He's totally doing this on purpose,"_ she swore.

"Thank you for the compliment," she said once she got control of herself. "However, I am confident that Aiz and Bell will find each other and from their union, something beautiful will come about."

"Careful Riveria, that almost makes you sound like you're ready to be a grandmother."

She smacked his arm, causing him to laugh.

"I'm not even a mother, being a grandmother is impossible," she huffed.

"Sorry, sorry," he said, still chuckling. "That is a shame though. The fact that no one's snatched you up and had a family with you. I'm sure your children would be lovely."

Her blush from earlier returned in full force and her grip on her staff threatened to turn it to splitters.

"_Definitely. On. Purpose."_

"Though I suppose," Achilles continued, not noticing her reaction as he fell into thought. "If Bell got together with both of them then we wouldn't have to fight."

That snapped Riveria out of her morbid thoughts.

"You want Bell to be with both of them?" she asked.

"I want him to be happy. I don't really care how as long as he is, and I'm not dumb enough to say that he wouldn't be very happy with Aiz, I just think he would, in the end, be the happiest with Haruhime. However, if he got with both of them that would, potentially, increase his happiness exponentially, assuming all parties were happy with the arrangement anyway."

"You think he should have a harem?"

"I'd hardly call two girls a harem, but," Achilles shrugged. "I think if anyone could pull it off, Bell could."

Riveria processed this for a moment, thinking on the possibility of a relationship containing Aiz, Bell, and Haruhime, and to her surprise, it seemed possible. However, this wasn't the only thought to come to mind.

"And what about you?" she asked.

"What about me?" he inquired back.

"Would you like a two woman, not-really-a-harem?"

She had meant it mostly as a joke, a quick jab before receiving a jab back, but she was surprised when Achilles's actually stopped, removed his pipe, and began to think.

"Hm, I don't think so," he began. "I'm not the kind of man who thinks that having two or more women to myself is necessarily a good idea. Disqualifying the fact and problem that is Freya with regards to myself, I doubt I'd want that kind of relationship for two reasons."

"You have my curiosity now. What are those two reasons?" she asked.

"Firstly: Exhaustion."

She couldn't even try to stop the laugh that came from that.

"Fair enough. And the second?"

"It wouldn't be fair to them," he explained. "Assuming I had two women that loved me and wanted to be with me, I feel it would be wrong because I wouldn't be able to give them the love they deserved, not only for loving me themselves, but for allowing me to receive love from two sources. As such, I feel it would be reprehensible of me to be in a relationship with two women, let alone more. However, if I could somehow ensure that I not only gave them all the love they deserved, but extra love as a sign of my gratitude for allowing the situation in the first place, then I suppose I would be open to such a relationship. That's why I believe Bell could pull it off. He has enough love to be able to fulfill that requirement for two, or perhaps even more, ladies."

"Well," Riveria said, a bit surprised by the in-depth explanation. "That's quite the mature answer."

"Yeah well, I suppose that's one upside to getting old," he replied.

"You're not getting old, Achilles," she said. "If anything you seem to be getting younger by the day."

"Says the immortal elf who probably doesn't even know what back pain is."

Another laugh rang through the air.

"Touche," she conceded.

* * *

Bell had finished explaining what happened between him and Riveria, luckily being able to scurt over the reason Riveria had visited in the first place without too much suspicion, leaving the entryway of Hearthfire Manor in complete silence, at least, until Tiona's eyes lit up.

"No. Frickin'. Way!" the amazon cried.

Finn, Gareth, and Welf all chuckled at that response, while the rest of Loki familia seemed to be attempting to reconcile what they had just been told.

"I can't believe it. Riveria-sama and…" Lefiya couldn't even manage to finish as she was so surprised by the revelation.

"Out of all the guys out there, she had a pick him?" Bete growled, clearly the least pleased by this new information.

"The heart wants what it wants," Gareth said.

"You two knew, didn't you?" Tione asked, signally towards Gareth and Finn.

Finn nodded.

"We confronted her about it after what happened in the Dungeon, though Gareth has apparently known the entire time."

"It was clear for anyone who was paying attention and didn't simply brush it off as ludicrous," the dwarf stated.

"Still, it's a bit weird to imagine them together," Tione stated, getting a few nods.

"I know this is a lot to take in," Bell said. "And I know my dad hasn't been the easiest to get along with recently-."

"That's the understatement of the year," Bete cut in.

Bell nodded, but pushed forward.

"Even so, I think the two of them would make each other happy. As such I'd like to ask for your help in bringing them together," he bowed. "Please aid me in seeing a relationship between Riveria and Achilles come to fruition."

The intensity of his request and the bow caught the Loki familia by surprise, but only for a second, after all, in the short time they had known the boy, they had come to understand that this kind of response was normal for him.

"No need for that, Bell-san," Finn said. "I don't think any of us would be adverse to seeing Riveria happy."

"Happy with him is another question," Bete growled lowly.

"Yeah! We're definitely going to help you, especially since it means I can tease her a whole lot!" Tiona cried.

"I'm not sure about her choice, but if he's the one she wants, I'll give her my support," Tione added.

"I guess I can help too. As long as he treats her right and leaves Aiz-san alone that is!" Lefiya added.

Bell stood back up, his eyes gleaming and smiling brightly.

"I'll help too."

He turned and found Aiz smiling softly at him.

"Both of them deserve happiness," she affirmed.

"Aiz-san."

The two suddenly got lost in their own little world, leaving everyone else to chuckle or growl as they recognized that Riveria and Achilles weren't the only ones moving closer to each other.

"Stop that!"

Bell and Aiz snapped back to reality just in time for Hestia to suddenly wrap herself around Bell's head, causing him to stumble around.

"H-Hestia-sama!" he cried, desperately trying to balance himself.

"Why are you staring all lovey-dovey at Aiz Wallen-whatisit, when you have me?!" the goddess cried.

"What?! Why should Bell-sama focus on you!" Lili cried, joining the fray and latching onto Bell.

Most everyone laughed at the sight before them, all the fear and tension from earlier having well and truly evaporated. The only ones who didn't were Bete, for his bad mood was still present, Ryuu and Haruhime as they both wished to join in themselves, and Aiz for she was far too preoccupied with a thought echoing through her mind.

"_Lovey-dovey?"_

"Alright, alright, I think we've embarrassed our familia enough for today," Welf said, pulling Lili off of Bell, while Mikoto pulled Hestia away, earning the gratitude of Bell.

Finn laughed.

"Nothing to be embarrassed about. Believe me, this doesn't even compare to some of the antics this lot gets up to on any given day."

"Captain!" Tione and Lefiya cried out, causing Gareth to laugh.

"Well," Bell said, having regained his footing. "Thank you for your support. I do know that things are tense with my dad right now, given everything that's happened recently, but I do think he'll make Riveria-sama happy."

"I do not doubt that," Finn returned.

"Then...um...why don't you all stay for breakfast? It's still quite early and it would be an honor to have you all as guests," Bell offered.

"Well…" Finn eyed the frothing goddess and the clearly displeased Lili wearily, though he was unable to stop himself from chuckling at seeing his would-be bride acting so unrestrained. However, his decision was made for him as the notable sound of a growling stomach cut through the air.

Everyone turned and found Aiz clutching her stomach, a small blush on her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Bell blushed himself at seeing such an adorable reaction from the girl he had fallen for, before smiling brightly at the excuse she'd provided.

"That settles it then," he said.

"Whoo! Food! I'm starving!" Tiona cried.

"Don't you dare embarrass the captain by eating like an animal!" Tione demanded.

"You eat as much as me and are twice as messy!" her sister bit back.

"I am not!"

Finn sighed.

"I believe this proves my earlier point," he said.

There was a few laughs at that before they all made their way into the kitchen, where Haruhime, with the help of Bell, Mikoto, Welf, Lili, Ryuu, the amazon sisters, Lefiya, and Aiz herself, began to make breakfast. Bell tried to stop the members of Loki familia, but they insisted, pointing out that this would be a big meal and that the Hestia familia would need all the help they could get. That silenced Bell, not that he needed much encouragement once Aiz placed herself next to him and they began to work together, much to the chagrin of numerous members of both familias.

Finally, breakfast was ready and they all began to eat.

"This is great!" Tiona happily declared as she attacked her plate like a ravenous beast.

"I told you not to act like an animal!" Tione shouted.

Everyone was smiling or laughing and a sense of contentment fell over the familias as they ate their meals. Overall, had one not been aware of who they all were, they would have been forgiven for thinking it was just one big, colorful family.

"We're back!" came the voice of Achilles.

"We're in here!" Bell called.

A moment later Achilles and Riveria walked in and took in the sight before them.

"Well, don't you all look cosy?" Achilles commented.

"I figured everyone would be hungry and so asked them to stay for breakfast," the young rabbit explained.

Achilles nodded.

"As any good host would," the ex-captain replied.

"Room for two more?" Riveria asked, immediately getting an affirmative response.

"One more," Achilles stated. "I should go talk to Ouranous. I've kept him waiting long enough as it is."

"Surely there's time for breakfast?" Haruhime asked.

"Riveria got me something on our way to the shop, so that should hold me over," he said, holding up his hand.

"Did she now?" Finn asked, a sly smile on his face.

This was not missed by Riveria, who soon noticed that everyone seemed to be giving her looks now. Everyone, that is, but Bell, who seemed very intent on hiding his eyes at the moment.

Before she could make sense of that, Shakti stood up.

"Then I shall accompany you," she said.

"No, no. Eat your fill, I can go alone," Achilles said. "Besides, I suspect Royman's going to have a few words for me and I would not subject anyone to that torture, especially not so early in the morning."

A few people laughed and, after a moment, Shakti accepted his position and sat back down.

"Alright, I'll see you all soon," the Zeus captain said, waving goodbye once again and leaving the manor.

Once he was gone, numerous predatory eyes shifted to Riveria.

"So," Tiona said in a way that unnerved Riveria. "You and the Olympian, huh?"

Riveria's eyes widened and her head shot towards Bell, who was now vigorously playing with his food, hoping to Heaven that she didn't decide to curse him.

* * *

Achilles made his way down the street, smoking his pipe and processing all that had happened.

"_Bell's going to be even more in love with her now, and based upon the way she acted it doesn't appear it'll be long before those two finally stop dancing around each other."_

He sighed. While he was, of course, happy for Bell and would accept his relationship with Aiz readily enough, especially after seeing the goodness within her, he still felt Haruhime was the best choice and hoped that there was room in his son's heart for her.

"_If there is room, then maybe that little idea of the three of them could actually work,"_ he mused with a chuckle.

This, however, brought another thought to the forefront.

"_What is it that Riveria can't tell me? If it's something to do with her familia I would understand and would immediately back off, but I don't think that's the case. It seemed more personal than that. Like it was something to do with her and,"_ he took a moment to think. "_Me, weirdly enough."_

His mind began to turn and he thought on everything he'd observed, eventually landing on one consistent fact that had happened both times.

"_She was blushing both times. Why would she be blushing? She barely ever blushes."_

There was really only one answer to that question, and Achilles was no fool, so he realized it quite quickly. When he did, he actually stopped as his eyes widened.

"_No. No she can't. That's ridiculous. This is Riveria for Heaven's sake. An elven princess. One of the most beautiful women in Orario, and we've been friends forever. She couldn't,"_ he shook his head. "_No, it's beyond ludicrous. She could do far better than me. No, it's something else, I'm just being a vain ass,"_ he thought, before discarding the thought and continuing on his way.

He finally arrived at the Guild and proceeded inside, happy to find Eina already working at one of the desks.

"Good morning," he greeted.

Eina jumped upon noticing him, the events of the previous night fresh in her mind, but she quickly corrected herself and returned the greeting.

"Good morning, Achilles-san. How may I help you?"

"I was informed by Shakti that Ouranous himself wanted to speak with me about the events of last night."

"Ah yes, I was informed of that. Please wait here a moment while I go get my superior."

"Thank you."

Achilles waited patiently for Eina to return, and a few minutes later she did so, with Royman in tow.

Rolling his eyes at what was to come, Achilles made his way over.

"Royman."

"Achilles," the elf growled. "You caused me no shortage of headaches last night."

"And I'm sure you're about to give me one in return, but before you do, can you, at the very least, take me to see Ouranos? Apparently he wishes to speak with me on something."

"That 'something' is the lightning you released above the Pleasure district last night."

"Right, right." the former captain said in understanding. "Well, then best not keep him waiting."

Royman growled again, wanting nothing more than to punish the former captain, but knowing that Ouranos's orders were to be followed to the letter. As such, he signalled for Achilles to follow him and the two departed Eina and began their journey through the halls.

The journey was silent as neither felt like talking to the other, and luckily passed quickly.

"You will show the utmost respect," Royman warned.

"Of course."

The doors of the chamber were opened, and the two made their way inside.

"Achilles Caesar has arrived, Ouranos-sama," Royman said with a bow.

"Good. You may leave, Royman."

The elf bowed again and departed, leaving Achilles and Ouranos alone.

"So, I guess I'm in a bit of trouble, aren't I?"

If this was meant to be a joke, Ouranos was certainly not laughing.

Achilles sighed.

"I guess I'll start from the beginning," he said.

Slowly but surely, Achilles explained everything that had transpired leading up to his explosion of light, as well as explaining what followed. None of it had been easy for the father, and the distinct sound of crackling lightning was heard in the room, but he restrained himself and was finally able to calm down upon completing the story.

Ouranos had listened silently, taking it all in without comment or any show of emotion until Achilles finally finished.

"This matches the details that Finn Deimne and the others gave me last night. As such, I am able to finally make a verdict on your actions," the god stated.

Achilles bowed his head in acceptance of whatever the god of Orario deemed appropriate.

"Your actions were reckless and based upon anger, but it hardly seems right to punish a father for being enraged by the horrid treatment unjustly bestowed upon his son. As such, I order you, Achilles Caesar, former captain of the Zeus familia, the Olympian, to pay a fifty thousand valis fine to the Guild and to write a public apology to the public, which will then be displayed across the city. I will leave the contents of the apology up to you, but I expect the highest courtesy."

"That's...quite generous of you, Ouranos-sama. Thank you," Achilles responded, a bit surprised.

"It is what I deemed appropriate. Not only can I understand your situation, but Bell Cranel has been of great service to this city and to myself. I owe him a debt that is not easily repaid."

"You owe Bell a debt?"

Ouranos actually nodded.

"I do. I suspect, in time, you shall find out why."

"_That's a bit cryptic, but I'm not about to complain after that light sentence."_

"I understand. Thank you again," he said, bowing to the god who, with a nod, excused the ex-captain.

Achilles departed, leaving the elder god to his thoughts.

"_How will Achilles respond to the Xenos when he learns of them? Even with Bell, can we be sure he will accept them and their dream? If he doesn't, what will we do?"_

The god let out an uncharacteristic sigh.

"_What do you think, Gaia?"_

* * *

Achilles opened the door of Hearthfire Manor, and was prepared to call out, when the voice of Riveria suddenly rang through the halls.

"No! I am not delving into this matter anymore and I will certainly not be telling you of any dreams or...fantasies I may or may not be having!"

Confused, but interested, Achilles made his way back into the dining area and found a very red faced Riveria glaring at Tiona, who was smiling impishly at the older elf.

"Oh come on, Riveria. We're both girls, you can tell us," the amazon pushed.

"One: we are not alone, and two: absolutely not!"

"What's going on here?" Achilles asked, making his presence known.

Riveria practically jumped to the ceiling and turned to face him, her face burning like a raging inferno.

"Achilles...how much did you hear?" the elf asked.

"Not much. Something about not delving into some matter and something about dreams and fantasies."

Riveria was stuck in the terrible position of being both extremely grateful and horrified. On one hand, Achilles was not aware of exactly what, or _who_ they were talking about, but the idea of him even knowing she had fantasies was enough to turn her blood to ice, let alone the idea of him asking her about said fantasies that were about the very questioner.

"Hehe, why don't you fill him in on what we were talking about, Riveria?" Tiona cut in, intent on forcing the issue, if not to force a confession than for sheer entertainment.

Riveria's eyes shot to the young amazon and promised one thing with perfect clarity.

"_I. Will. Get. You."_

"It's alright, I don't need to know."

Tiona and the others turned back to him in surprise.

"You don't?" Tiona asked, disappointment in her voice.

"Her thoughts, dreams, and certainly her fantasies are her own," Achilles responded. "If she wants to tell me something, she can, but I won't force her."

Riveria wasn't sure she had ever been so grateful to the Olympian. Had she been anyone else, she might have hugged him. Instead, she took a deep breath and smiled.

"Thank you, Achilles. I appreciate that."

"Of course," he returned.

"Boo," Tiona said, with a few others around the table voicing their displeasure as well.

What none of them knew was that Achilles had not cut off the conversation simply out of a sense of politeness. In fact, the main reason was because of what he had thought on his way to the Guild.

"_The fantasies are not about you, don't even think it! For the love of the gods, you've called her 'sister' before, you perverted wretch. You can't go from that to wondering if she's having naughty thoughts about you!"_

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as his thoughts got out of control.

"Are you alright?"

He turned to see Riveria looking at him with concern.

"Fine. I guess I'm just more tired than I thought I was," he said, trying his best to sound convincing, while also forcing down any thoughts with regards to the elf before him that he deemed inappropriate.

"Well you should get your rest," she said.

"Before you do that, what happened with Ouranos?" Hestia asked.

"Ah, right. He wanted to know about what happened last night with regards to the lightning. I suppose that makes sense as I likely scared half the city with that little light show."

"Did he punish you?" Bell asked with concern.

"Minorly. A fifty thousand valis fine and an apology letter addressed to the public. Not so bad."

Relief washed over the Hestia familia.

"That's good to hear," Hestia stated.

"Indeed. Now, if no one minds, I'm going to go to bed. I'm in desperate need of a nap."

"Sounds like a good idea," Riveria said.

"Sleep well, Dad," Bell called, followed by a few others chiming in.

"Thank you. Goodnight or...good afternoon. I don't know," Achilles said, throwing up his hands.

He was about to leave when the gate bell rang.

"You've got to be kidding me," Achilles said, hanging his head.

"It's alright, might just be someone looking to apply for the familia," Haruhime said optimistically.

"Given who the last applicant was, I can't say that's necessarily a good thing," the Olympian countered.

A few people grimaced and Bete even growled. Aiz, seeing the disheartened, fear-tinged look in his eyes, went over to him and squeezed his hand.

"No one will ever hurt you like that again. I promise."

"Aiz," Bell said. Though he was a bit stunned by the power of her voice he could not help but smile at her. "Thank you."

Achilles watched the scene for a moment, recognizing just how close the two were to finally coming together. His eyes turned to Haruhime and the sadness in her eyes broke his heart.

"_Damn it all, why can't life be simple?"_ he bemoaned.

"Well, might as well find out who it is," he said, hoping to pull everyone away from the display between his son and his beloved.

Departing the room, Achilles made his way to the entrance and exited the manor. The moment he did so and saw who it was, he cursed.

"You've got to be kidding me."

Standing at the gate to the manor was none other than Ottar.

"What, in all that is good are you doing here?" the Olympian asked the King.

"I have come to deliver two items from my lady."

"Well then, you may pass those items along to me and I will see them delivered," Achilles responding, giving Ottar the fakest smile possible.

He was met with a firm stare and silence.

"I am to deliver them personally," the boaz said.

"Of course you are," the ex-captain said, his head dropping again. "Fine. Follow me."

The two level sevens made their way back inside and it was fair to say that Ottar's arrival was both unexpected and not particularly desired.

"Ottar. What're you doing here?" Finn asked.

"I am here to deliver two items from my lady."

"Well we're here now. What are they?" Achilles asked, wanting his former disciple out as quickly as possible.

'The first is a letter to Bell Cranel."

"A letter? For me?" Bell asked, stepping forward.

"Last night my lady learned of what transpired between you and Phryne Jamil. She wished to comfort you after learning of it, but knew her presence might upset some present and so decided on the next best thing," Ottar said holding out the letter.

"_Does the whole damn city know what happened at this point?"_ Achilles internally growled, not pleased that what happened to his son was apparently being passed around like everyday gossip.

Bell eyed the envelope for a moment, not quite sure what to make of the situation, before finally taking it from the Freya captain.

"Thank you. Please thank Freya-sama for me as well. She didn't need to do this and I appreciate her kindness."

Ottar gave one of his nearly invisible smiles before nodding.

"I shall pass the message along. The second gift is for Sanjouno Haruhime."

"Me?" Haruhime asked, clearly confused. "Whatever for?"

"My lady was informed that it was you who saved Bell from Phryne Jamil. Is that incorrect?"

"Well...no. I knew where she had taken him. But it was the right thing to do. I don't need anything for doing the right thing," she said.

"Even so, my lady wished to show her immense gratitude and thus asked me to give you this."

Ottar pulled out what had to be one of the most stunning and down right expensive pieces of jewelry in all of Orario. A gold necklace that shined like the sun yet appeared as light as rays of sunshine. Yet the gold was not the most impressive part. At the bottom, held within a oval of gold, carved with foxes dancing around it, was the most beautiful emerald any of them had ever seen. An emerald larger than a valis coin and that, upon inspection, everyone realized was the same color as Haruhime's eyes.

"It's...beautiful," the renard said. "I...I can't accept this! This is too much!"

"It is no such thing. You saved my lady's beloved and showed yourself to be a person of quality. This is my lady recognizing that quality. As such, you must accept it."

Stunned, and unsure what to, Haruhime looked around, her eyes asking those around her for an answer. Finally, they landed on Bell who, after looking into her eyes for a moment, walked forward and addressed Ottar.

"May I?" he asked, signally to the necklace.

Ottar nodded and handed him the necklace. Bell gently took the band of gold and green, and walked around Haruhime.

"Bell-sama?"

He didn't say a word as he unclasped the necklace, brought it around her neck and reclasped it.

"There," he said, smiling. "It looks very beautiful on you."

Haruhime's face burst with color and her tail began to wag uncontrollably.

"T-Thank you, B-Bell-sama."

While everyone was focused on the exchange, Achilles focused in on Bell, noticing something interesting.

"_Those eyes,"_ he thought as he took note of the affection Bell was directing at Haruhime. "_Oh,"_ he thought as he realized what he was seeing and smiled. "_The battle's not over yet."_

Little did he know that he wasn't the only one to notice this affection, as the King himself had taken note of it and he too, was smiling.

"_My lady was right."_

"That is all my lady requested of me," Ottar said, bringing everyone back. "As such, I will now depart."

"I'll escort you out," Achilles said, not trusting the boaz for a moment.

"That's quite the necklace," Riveria said, going up to Haruhime.

"I-I really don't think I deserve it. I j-just wanted to help Bell-sama."

"And that's precisely why you deserve it, I think," the elf replied immediately.

"You did save me, Haruhime," Bell said. "I'll never be able to repay you for that, but I'm glad that someone recognized it and rewarded you for it. I just wish it was me."

"Bell-sama," the renard shook her head. "You've more than repaid me. You saved me from Ishtar familia. You gave me a home. If anything, it's I who will never be able to repay you!" she declared.

"Then, I guess we'll just have to call it even," Bell stated with a smile.

Haruhime was more than happy to agree to that and smiled back.

"Seems fair to me," Achilles said, having seen Ottar off.

"Grrr, the mood in here's getting weird again. Bell-kun, what's in that letter?!" Hestia demanded.

"Wha? I can't show you that, Hestia-sama."

"What do you mean you can't!? Freya sent you a letter and I want to see what it says!" the loli goddess said, trying to nab the letter.

"That would be rude, Hestia-sama!" Bell said, fighting to keep in with him.

"Rude? Rude!? What are you hiding Bell-kun?!"

"Nothing!"

"Give me that letter!"

As the two fought over the letter, Achilles went over to Haruhime and looked over the necklace.

"That is quite something. Wouldn't be surprised if it's worth more than most familia," he commented, causing Haruhime's blush to return.

"It is quite dazzling. I'm not sure I'll ever feel I deserve it, but it was quite generous of Freya-sama."

"Indeed," Achilles agreed. "May I?" he asked, signally that he wished to look it over.

"Oh. Of course," she replied.

Gently taking it in his hands, and making sure not to tung on it and thus hurt Haruhime, he began to look it over.

The craftwork was truly magnificent. The skill of one of the best smiths in Orario, that was no doubt. The engravings within the gold were intricate and stunning, taking a level of skill few of even the most dedicated smiths would ever reach. The emerald was also quite the sight to behold. Utterly flawless and a perfect match to Haruhime's eyes, it was as if her very soul had been replicated and placed within the emerald.

Turning it over to see the back, Achilles froze.

"_No."_

Engraved on the back, in letters just large enough to see, was a personal message from Freya.

_To my dearly beloved Haruhime._

"_She's…"_ Achilles looked up at Haruhime. "_She wants Haruhime as well."_

* * *

And done! Whew, another bites the dust! Can you believe it?! Twenty chapters, and we aren't even close to being done. In fact, if everything goes to plan, the next two chapters should be quite exciting, with one of the originally planned chapters finally coming to fruition. A chapter I've been waiting to write since before I officially started this story. But, you'll have to wait a bit longer before we get there.

Anyway, with that all said, I do hope you enjoyed this one. I know there are things I miss and things that some disagree with, but in the end, I do really hope you enjoy the story as knowing I'm making people smile is one of the best parts of being a writer. So, please tell me what you think, point out any issues, and overall, share your thoughts. I was pretty concerned I was making Riveria pretty out of character without proper explanation, but please tell me your thoughts on the matter. With that, thank you very much for reading and I'll see you all next time. Bye for now.


	21. Chapter 21

Hello again good people and welcome back. Well, things are moving along aren't they? Bell and Aiz are getting closer, as are Riveria and Achilles, and Haruhime's got Freya's eye on her. What do you think will happen next? Well, no time like the present to find out, right? So let's get to it.

I do not own Danmachi

* * *

She was confused, terribly so, and maybe even a bit afraid. That's what Bell realized as he watched Haruhime look around, her eyes pleading with everyone for some sort of answer as Ottar held out the beautiful necklace. Finally, her eyes landed on him, and seeing those wonderful emeralds staring at him, looking so lost, he knew what he had to do.

Walking up to the captain of the Freya familia.

"May I?" he asked Ottar, signally clearly towards the necklace.

Ottar stared down at him for the briefest of moments before nodding and handing him the necklace.

With the jewelry in hand, the young captain walked around Haruhime and placed himself behind her.

"Bell-sama?" she asked, turning her head towards him.

Without a word, he unclasped the necklace, brought it around her neck and reclasped it.

"There," he said, taking a moment to admire how perfectly it matched her. "It looks beautiful on you."

Even someone as dense as Bell often was could not fail to notice the red that burst into her cheeks and the erratic speed her tail began to move. Had he not already known Haruhime's feelings, this would have been enough to tell him. As it were, it was just further proof of how much she cared for him.

"T-Thank you, B-Bell-sama," she said.

He continued smiling at her, his eyes never leaving hers as they simply stared, silently, at each other.

"_She really does have beautiful eyes,"_ he thought, not even truly realizing what he was thinking, only content to acknowledge that unquestionable truth.

It was then, that a silent thought that had previously been hidden in the back of his mind began to creep forward, seeing its opportunity to finally say what it had wished to say not so long ago.

"_Is it possible for me to fall in love with Haruhime as well?"_

He would not be discovering the answer anytime soon as Ottar spoke.

"That is all my lady requested of me," he said, snapping Bell back into conscious thought. "As such I will now depart."

"I'll escort you out," his father said, and a moment later, the two level sevens departed the room.

Bell's attention soon shifted as Riveria approached Haruhime.

"That's quite the necklace," the motherly elf said.

"I-I really don't think I deserve it. I j-just wanted to help Bell-sama."

He couldn't help but smile at that.

"And that's precisely why you deserve, I think," Riveria said.

"You did save me, Haruhime," he said, unable to prevent himself from adding his own thoughts. "I'll never be able to repay you for that, but I'm glad that someone recognized it and rewarded you for it. I just wish it was me."

"Bell-sama," she shook her head. "You've more than repaid me. You saved me from the Ishtar familia. You gave me a home. If anything, it's I who will never be able to repay you!"

He couldn't help but smile at that.

"Then, I guess we'll just have to call it even."

The smile he received back was enough confirmation and reward for him.

"Seems fair to me." He turned his head to find that his dad had returned and was now smiling at the two of them.

There was something in that smile that Bell couldn't quite put his finger on. It kind of looked like he was relieved about something, which would normally have made sense given all that had happened over the last few hours, yet Bell couldn't help but feel like he was missing something. He didn't have much time to contemplate on the matter as Hestia jumped in.

"Grrr, the mood in here's getting weird again. Bell-kun, what's in that letter?!" his goddess demanded, reaching her hand out.

Bell was shocked by that question.

"Wha? I can't show you that, Hestia-sama," he said, knowing how rude it would be to show a letter to someone it wasn't addressed to, especially when he himself hadn't even seen it yet.

"What do you mean you can't!? Freya sent you a letter and I want to see what it says!" she cried, thrusting her hand out to try and take the letter.

Luckily, he was more than fast enough to pull the letter away before she could get it.

"That would be rude, Hestia-sama!" he declared. He may have been raised by a bit of a lecherous old man, but he still had manners!

"Rude? Rude!? What are you hiding Bell-kun?!"

"Nothing!" he replied instantly.

"Give me that letter!"

His goddess jumped at him and began to frantically try and nab the letter from him, but he was determined, and as ferocious as his goddess could be there was no way she could match his speed.

The two fought over the letter for some time, until the room suddenly got quiet as Achilles stared at Haruhime with concerned, if not outright horrified eyes.

Noting this, the two stopped and turned towards Achilles.

"A-Achilles?" Haruhime quietly called.

When no response was received and Achilles simply kept staring at her, his eyes now growing a hint of pain, Riveria stepped forward.

"Achilles?" she said, placing her hand on his shoulder.

Finally, he turned away and looked at Riveria.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

He stared at her for a moment, wishing desperately that this wasn't real, until he finally admitted he wasn't in a new nightmare and sighed.

Turning back to Haruhime, he removed the necklace from her and held it up to Riveria.

"This," he said.

Seeing that there was writing on the back of the necklace, Riveria leaned forward.

"To my dearly beloved Haruhime," she read.

The moment she finished those words, she, and everyone else in the room, froze.

"No," Haruhime said in disbelief.

"She couldn't be also after-," Lili tried.

"She is," Achilles stated firmly, turning to everyone else. "Freya is now after Haruhime as well."

Everything fell silent. No one knew what to say.

"Why?" Hestia finally managed.

"If it's anything like why she's after me and Bell, then it's because she saw potential in Haruhime," Achilles answered. "The fact that she saved Bell no doubt helped," his eyes fell on a fidgeting Haruhime. "However...perhaps there's more to it than that."

Everyone else turned their focus to Haruhime and took note of her fidgeting as well.

"Haruhime?" Achilles called.

The renard jumped.

"Y-Yes?" she replied.

"Is there something we're missing?"

The fidgeting grew worse. She knew now that she was caught, but she worried about the repercussions. Naturally, this caused her to shift her gaze to her source of strength and comfort.

Bell met her gaze and, after a moment, nodded.

Giving a small nod in return, she turned back to Achilles.

"S-Something happened that I've been meaning to tell all of you," she began.

* * *

Everyone listened to Haruhime's words with increasing interest, concern, and anger as she informed them of what happened the day after the attack on Miach familia, between her, Ottar, and the goddess of beauty.

"Why didn't you tell us about this earlier, Haruhime?" Hestia asked, a bit upset, but willing to hear an answer.

"I'm sorry I did not, but I was afraid for everyone. This was right after the attack on Miach familia and everyone was already frightened. Also," she turned her head. "I'm sorry, Achilles, and I mean no offense, but you do have a temper." Achilles did not verbally respond, but simply gave a nod. "I planned to tell you all at some point, but I hoped it would be when Freya wasn't pressing so heavily on your minds."

Everyone nodded, including members of Loki familia. They knew that the Hestia familia was trying so hard to not be a familia with any secrets, but they could all understand her reasoning behind her actions, including Riveria who was understanding more and more why the young renard was Achilles's favorite to win Bell's heart.

"Bell,"Achilles piped in. "You knew about this?"

"I did," his son answered with a nod. "She came to me afterwards and explained to me what happened before asking that I not tell everyone. I argued against it, and eventually she agreed to tell you all when things calmed down," he explained, making sure not to mention another key moment that happened between him and Haruhime, though when Haruhime started blushing, a few people got curious.

"Well, got to say I'm impressed," Welf jumped in. "Guess I've been underestimating you, Haruhime, cause I didn't know you had that in you. Talking back to a goddess and all," he said with a smile.

"I-It was a sudden burst of courage is all. A-And maybe a bit of anger, after all the trouble and pain she had caused."

"Still," Achilles lightly flicked her forehead. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't find ways to give me a heart-attack."

The fox princess smiled, even as she rubbed her forehead.

"I'll do my best," she vowed.

"Uh-huh. Well, while we're on this topic, anyone else want to reveal something they've been hiding? Might as well get everything out in the open."

Riveria suddenly felt almost every eye on the room bore into her.

"~Yeah~. Anything you'd like to share, Ri~ve~ri~a?" Tiona sang.

Riveria's glare at the young amazon was matched only by her blush. Naturally, this all caught Achilles's attention and he turned to her.

"Riveria?"

She met his eyes, her own wide and horrified.

"_This isn't happening! This can't be happening!"_ she screamed in her mind as the eyes bore into her with ever-greater intensity.

What she didn't know was that Achilles was having a minor internal freakout of his own.

"_This can't be real. There's no way that stupid idea of mine was real! Right?" _he almost pleaded in his head, not sure how to respond if his hunch proved to be correct.

"Um."

Everyone turned to Bell, who was now looking at the ground.

"Bell?" Achilles asked, wondering why he looked guilty.

"Something happened with me the day after Freya confronted Haruhime," the young rabbit said.

Riveria's plight forgotten, everyone focused on him.

"What happened?" his father asked.

"Well...you remember when I went for that walk?" His familia all nodded. "Well, I was trying to figure a few things out. What happened with Haruhime and Freya. Freya herself. That Enyo person-."

"Enyo?!"

Everyone jumped and turned to the shocked Loki familia.

"Oh, right, I forgot to mention that to you, Riveria. After we parted in the Dungeon, we met those friends of yours, including the red-headed woman," Achilles explained.

"What happened?" Finn asked.

"They surrounded us with some kind of vine-like monster and asked us for something," Achilles answered.

"What did they want?" Finn pressed.

"Something that did not belong to them. When I refused to give it to them, they attacked us. Or their little pets did," Achilles responded.

Finn did not care for the answer he got, wondering what Enyo and his subordinates were after, but he knew Achilles wouldn't reveal anything.

His eyes turned to Bell.

"_He won't, but if Aiz were to ask Bell, he might be willing to part with the information,"_ he thought.

"Anyway. Continue Bell," Achilles said.

"Well, I got stuck on exactly what to do with Freya. On one hand, everything horrible she had done was still fresh in my mind. The party. Miach familia. Haruhime. I was so angry. But then I remembered what you said about her, Dad. About why you fell in love with her, and, though it feels odd to say, you made it sound...nice. Really nice."

His father's head fell and he nodded.

"At one point it was," he said quietly.

Everyone's eyes refocused on the Olympian, none more so than Riveria who felt her heart clench.

"And there's also what she did for me with regards to Ishtar familia, and I-."

"Wait, wait, Bell-san. What do you mean, 'with regards to Ishtar familia'," Finn cut in.

Achilles groaned and rubbed his face.

"When I first met with Freya upon my return she revealed that she destroyed Ishtar familia because they kidnapped and tried to claim him," he explained.

None of the Loki familia knew how to respond to that so most just opted for an open mouth look.

"She destroyed Ishtar familia for you?" Aiz managed to ask Bell.

He nodded.

"Yes. She confessed it to my dad."

"That's...disturbing," Finn said.

"That's crazy, that's what it is!" Tiona said.

"And more than a bit creepy," Tione added.

"For once, I agree with both of you," Bete stated.

"Yes well, when Freya wants something," Achilles said, sounding evermore exhausted. "Continue Bell. And I'll ask everyone not to interrupt again and hold any questions until the end."

"No promises," Tione responded, getting a few nods amongst both familia.

"Um, well, all of this made me really confused. I didn't know what to do or what to think with Freya. Was she evil? Was she just in love? What does that mean coming from a goddess? Coming from her? I had so many questions and I wasn't sure I could answer any of them. That's when I got an idea. Maybe someone else could help me better understand. So I went to the Hostess of Fertility."

"Why there?" Tiona asked.

"Mama Mia, a.k.a. Mia Grande, was once a captain of the Freya familia," Riveria explained.

"Say what?!" Bete exclaimed.

"How come we didn't know that?" Tiona asked.

Finn shrugged.

"Never came up. She retired a while ago."

"Semi-retired," Achilles corrected, a bit irritated at how quickly Bell had been interrupted again.

"So I went there, and asked Mia what she had done for Freya with regards to me and she answered. You all know my Firebolt, right?"

Everyone nodded.

"Well, I didn't get that on my own. I got that because one of the waitresses at the Hostess of Fertility gave me a grimoire." That caught the room's attention. "I didn't know it at the time, and it was only after I used it that I found out. Mia told me that it was Freya who supplied the grimoire."

"Huh. That was...generous of her," Finn said.

Bell nodded.

"In more ways than one. I'm honestly not sure I would have been able to beat that minotaur if I hadn't had that spell, so, in a way, she saved my life."

No one liked the sound of that, but none could really deny it either.

"_Just don't let her hear you say that,"_ Achilles thought.

"After that, the waitress who gave me the grimoire told me that a necklace she gave me before our War Game with Apollo familia was actually a protective charm. A charm that was also from Freya. If not for that charm I would have lost when Hyakinthos's Aro Zephyros hit me, and instead of being a part of the Hestia familia right now, I would be a part of the Apollo, or maybe even the Freya familia."

Once more, everyone was lost for words and the room fell silent for a moment.

"Freya...did all that?" Hestia said, not quite believing her ears.

Bell nodded again.

"Yes. Which, naturally, made it even harder for me to understand her. I left the Hostess of Fertility with more knowledge, but not more clarity. If anything I was even more confused and I knew walking wasn't going to help. So," he began to fidget again, much worse than before. "I went to the Dungeon."

"What?!" Hestia and Lili cried, with the rest of his familia looking none too pleased by that information.

"Hestia-sama. Please," Achilles said. "While we didn't want him to go there, I think we can all understand why he did. It was dangerous, but it would have been a great way to clear his head."

"You're not upset by this?" Hestia asked in shock.

"I am, but I understand why he went there. Besides, apparently nothing happened."

"Actually," Bell cut in, a massive sense of guilt crushing him as he was about to prove his father's defense false. "Something did happen."

"Oh, joy," his father replied, his head once again falling as his entire body suddenly became a lot heavier. "What happened?"

"I...um...met Ottar."

Normally this would have caused an uproar amongst the Hestia familia, but any response was prevented by the massive groan that emitted from Achilles right before his face fell in his hands.

"Of course you did," he said, muffled through his hands.

"He wasn't there for me!" Bell quickly added. "He was just going through the Dungeon like any other adventurer and happened to come across me."

"That seems unlikely," Lili said, now more than a bit angry at Bell.

"True, but I believe it's the truth, especially since he let me by him without any trouble."

"Ah, thank Heaven," Achilles said, looking ready to fall over, Riveria actually going up to him and rubbing his shoulder for comfort.

"But…" Achilles's relief instantly disappeared. "I didn't leave immediately," Bell continued.

"What. Did you. Do?" Achilles asked, his voice now containing a noticeable amount of frustration.

"I ask him why Freya loves me."

Another groan.

"And how did my old pupil respond?"

"He said it was because of my aura. That she saw it shine brightly. That didn't really help me, and at this point I guess I was desperate for an answer, so I threw back that we didn't even know each other, at which point," Bell paused as a faint bit of red came to his cheeks. "He asked me if I knew the girl I loved before I fell for her."

Everyone suddenly became more invested in the topic as everyone, but the girl herself ironically, knew whom Ottar was talking about.

"I admitted I didn't really know her, but as time went on I came to know her more and more and, in turn, fall for her more and more. With Freya though, it didn't make sense to me. I was just some kid from a village in the middle of nowhere. Some silly boy with dreams of going on adventures and being a hero. I was nothing special, and I didn't need to be a hero. I just wanted to live my life."

Riveria's eyes softened.

"_I don't believe there's anyone in this room who thinks you're nothing special, young Bell Cranel, I only wish you hadn't been burdened with so much so soon."_

"Then Ottar said I was lying."

That piqued everyone's interest.

"He accused you of lying?" Achilles asked.

"Yes. He said that I did need to be a hero and that everything I'd done up to that point had proven that."

Riveria smiled.

"_That settles it then. If even Ottar can recognize it, there really is no doubt."_

"I told him I hadn't always done the right thing, that I ...that I almost didn't save Haruhime," Bell continued, shame radiating off him at the same time it crushed him beneath an invisible weight.

"Bell-sama," Haruhime said gently, going up to him and placing a hand on his shoulder.

He turned to her, shame and regret filling his eyes to bursting point.

"I would not have blamed you for leaving me behind. Indeed, I wanted you to. I could not stand the thought of you getting hurt, let alone for me."

"It was wrong of me to think of leaving you," Bell said miserably, but resolutely.

Haruhime shook her head.

"No, it would have been the smart thing to do. You had to think of your familia. Your goddess. You could not have been blamed had you left me behind. However, if I may, I am very glad that you saved me and gave me a new home."

Bell finally allowed himself a small smile.

"I'm glad too."

The two were allowed a moment to share, everyone happy or a tad jealous at the affection they were displaying. Finally though, with a loud clearing of his throat, Achilles returned everyone back to the matter at hand.

"Uh...after that," Bell moved on, a bit embarrassed by his little moment with Haruhime. "Ottar pointed out that I did save Haruhime and even went so far as to thank me for saving his familia some trouble."

"You helped Freya familia?" Bete asked, not liking the sound of that.

"Indirectly. Ishtar familia was going to use something called a soul stone on Haruhime to gain access to her power. With that power, they planned on attacking Freya familia."

Bete calmed down and Loki familia nodded their heads.

"I kept trying to explain or prove I wasn't a hero, but he kept countering, and finally, he said that, just like he needed to be an adventurer, I needed to be a hero. That nothing else would do for either of us and that it was because of my need that Freya fell in love with me. He finished by saying that, one day I would understand how great it is to be loved by her. After that I thanked him and told him that he could tell Freya that, if she could somehow earn my trust, I would not be opposed to speaking with her."

Everything was silent as everyone processed what they had just heard.

There was, of course, the expected emotions. Anger. Confusion. Even a tad bit of sadness at the suggestion that Bell might be a little more open to the goddess of beauty than expected, but no one really knew how to proceed.

Bell watched his familia and all the emotions that passed through them with increasing anxiety. He knew what he had said had worried and even hurt them, and that pained him deeply as that was the last thing he wanted to do. At the same time he realized he had said so much in front of people who, while he considered them friends, were not his familia and thus it may not have been appropriate for them to hear everything he had just divulged, especially not at the same time his actual familia did. Add on top of that was the fact that he had suggested an openness towards Freya's affections in front of the very girl who had earned his heart. Or...worse yet...the _girls_ that had earned it.

His eyes shifted between Aiz and Haruhime and his heart felt ready to explode as confusion and pain filled him.

He was desperate to explain. To make them understand he was just trying to figure everything out. That, he wasn't trying to hurt them. He would never try and do that. He was desperate to take away everyone's pain and confusion. To get rid of that hurt look in Hestia's eyes. To be rid of that tearful, angry look on Lili's face. To be rid of the desperate and confused eyes pointed at him from the resident sword and fox princesses. He needed to fix this. To get rid of their pain and confusion and, maybe, just maybe, get rid of his own in turn.

"I used to just think that I should give gods my utmost respect, not that I don't think I should do that now!" he threw out quickly, not really knowing where he was going and having no plan, just spitting out words in the hope of fixing everything. "But now I understand it's a bit more complicated than that. Apollo, Ishtar, Ikelos, they all showed me a different side to gods that I didn't expect and...wasn't prepared for," to say Bell was made uncomfortable by the memories flooding his mind now was a drastic understatement, but he had a mission and he wasn't stopping until it was complete. "That's why I'm not sure what to think of Freya or how to act with her. I want to understand so that I can act as I should or...at least," he was beginning to stumble, but he knew he couldn't stop. "Better. She says that she loves me which I don't fail to recognize is something many, if not most people would do anything for, but with her I don't really understand what that means. I remember what you've said, Dad, about why you fell in love with her. I also remember perfectly what she did. I remember how angry that made me. I really thought I came to hate her at the party and I wasn't lying when I said I was willing to send her back to Heaven. I was actually tempted to try right then and there." That earned him some surprised faces. "And then when she attacked Miach familia I was sure I did hate her. So sure that she was just evil. That she just wanted to hurt people. Then she did what she did with Haruhime and it all became confused. In a way, it only made me hate her more, yet at the same time...I don't know, it all just didn't make sense. What was all this for? Did she really love me? Why did she love me? What does that mean coming from a god? What does that mean coming from her? I just," his body deflated. "I just wanted to understand." Now everyone looked at him with pitying eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't do what I promised and I'm sorry I hid it from you. I'm even sorry that I tried to understand Freya more after everything she's done. And I'll never be able to tell you how sorry I am for hurting you all again," tears began to sting his eyes. "I know she doesn't really deserve such courtesy, but I just wanted to understand, as best I could, what was going on. So much of what's happened the last few months has seemed out of my control or just crazy, and I suppose, deep down, I just wanted to regain a bit of that control. To feel like I'm not just reacting or being pulled along by something or someone else."

With those final words, and those heart wrenching tears, all anger, confusion, and disappointment directed at Bell, evaporated as everyone was reminded just who they were dealing with. A boy. A strong, good, driven boy, but a boy nonetheless. A boy that had been thrown into a word that regularly consumed far older and more experienced individuals. They remembered that Bell was the youngest one there and that their own high expectations of him had made them forget this fact.

Bell suddenly felt himself being pulled forward and found his head pushed up against his father's chest.

"My sweet boy, what am I going to do with you?"

"Dad?" Bell looked up.

"I guess we really have been placing too much on your shoulders haven't we? Some father I am."

The tears returned to Bells eyes and he shook his head.

"No, you've been a wonderful father. The best I could have ever asked for! I just don't want to...I-I don't want to disappoint you. Any of you," he said, hiding his head in his father's chest.

As the heartbroken looks multiplied through the room, Achilles stroked his son's hair tenderly.

"And that proves I haven't been a good father. The fact that you think you _can_ disappoint me is all the proof I need," he explained. "Bell, I will never be able to tell you how happy I am that you chose me as your father. Words cannot properly reveal how much that meant to me. The joy I feel knowing that, somehow, I earned that title. I love you very much, and that's why, when you told me what happened, I wasn't disappointed, I was scared. I was so scared about what could have happened, about what still could happen that it felt like my heart was going to burst out of my chest." Bell looked up again, his eyes filled with even more guilty tears. "But," Achilles continued, giving his son a reassuring smile and continuing to stroke his hair. "After hearing your explanation, I understand why you did what you did. And I'm so proud of you for it." Bell's tears finally stopped as his eyes widened. "You needed answers, and you sought them out with an open mind, knowing that, even if you had to tweak the rules a bit, that it would be worth it because you would come back better. Wiser. Stronger, if that's even possible. So few people can say that. Say they went out searching for answers, just for the sake of the truth and do so with an open mind. That is yet another incredible thing about you, Bell."

"Dad," Bell said, not really knowing how to respond.

Achilles continued to smile at him.

"You are the strongest person I know, Bell, and I mean that. Even so, I've forgotten what it costs to have such strength. The burden it places on people. And for one so young to have so heavy a burden," Achilles's smile turned sad. "There's nothing I can say but, or should I say, ask, but will you forgive me?"

"Why would I need to forgive you?" the young man asked.

"For not helping you with this burden and for, if anything, placing even more weight upon you."

Bell shook his head.

"Then you don't need to apologize. You've helped me so much, and not just me, this whole familia. You have nothing to apologize for."

"Even so, I'm sorry, and I promise to do better."

"I promise too," his son returned.

"You've done more than enough."

"Even so."

The pain and confusion from earlier was now gone, replaced by relieved contentment and understanding.

"_You really aren't so different from your past self as you think, Achilles,"_ Riveria thought pleasantly.

The two captains finally pulled apart and looked at each other.

"Everything will be alright, Bell."

"Right," the young captain replied.

The two fully parted and turned back to everyone.

"Sorry about that. A father-son moment was required," Achilles said.

A few people chuckled.

"Understandable," Riveria said.

"Anyway, I think that's enough emotional shake-up for one day," the Olympian said, getting a few more chuckles.

"I'm sorry for causing you all so much distress," Bell said, bowing.

"As do I," Haruhime added, doing the same.

"Oh stop that, you both just did what you thought was best in a difficult situation, I don't think any of us can give you real grief over that," Achilles stated.

"True, but I would like you two to reaffirm your promises not to keep anything from us. Even if we don't like it or it's not the best time, we need to know, especially since we all agreed to be open with each other," Hestia said.

"We promise," the two said together.

"Good. Now, forgive me for saying so, Achilles-kun, but you look dreadful. I think it's time you take that nap," the goddess continued.

Achilles sighed before letting out a chuckle.

"I will, but first I'm going outside for a smoke. I don't think my mind will allow me to fall asleep until I've calmed down a bit. So, if you'll all excuse me."

Achilles departed and made his way outside. Once there, he let out a long, pained sigh, and rubbed his face with both hands.

"Shit," he sighed again. "Damn it. Fuck. Crap. Bullshit."

"That's quite the mouth."

He turned and found Riveria standing behind him, smiling softly in understanding.

"Sorry," he said, returning her smile as best she could. "It's just...been a day."

"I can imagine," she said while he finally pulled out and lit his pipe. "How are you doing though? Truly?"

Achilles took a deep breath from his pipe before releasing a long stream of smoke.

"I feel like shit."

Riveria nodded.

"You kept up a strong face through that whole thing. It must have been difficult."

"Not for Bell. With him, it was easy and everything was honest. I am, in no way, disappointed with my boy, only with myself for not better relieving his burden."

"You've done exceedingly well since you've come into his life. Not perfect, but well."

"You're kind to say so, Riveria, but I need to do better."

"And you will. Now, what else is bothering you?"

Achilles was silent for a moment, simply breathing in the smoke and letting it back out, but that was fine with Riveria. She was willing to be patient.

"I always knew gods and goddesses played by different rules," he finally said. "I knew that Freya had had many lovers over her time and would have many after me. I tried not to be jealous, I really did. It was irrational and even insulting to be. With Bell, I could completely understand what she saw in him. Why her eye was drawn to him, so there was no jealousy with him. But now...now she's after Haruhime as well. Don't get me wrong, Haruhime's wonderful and I don't blame anyone for wanting her, but…" he stopped as pain filled him. "But the realization that Freya could so easily choose a third person to claim, that I was so utterly not unique, so utterly unable to hold her attention, that it was so easy for her to give her love to another...it hurts. It hurts more than I ever thought it would."

"Achilles," Riveria barely more than whispered. "You are unique. Truly," she said, placing herself next to him. "Your strength. Your drive. Your kindness. Yes," she added, seeing his look. "Your kindness. You are _more_ than worthy of her love. Her sole, undivided love. If she can't see that then she's a fool."

"Then what's that make me?" he asked with a bitter chuckle.

"A man who needs and deserves love," she replied instantly.

Achilles stared at her, for what seemed like the longest time, but was likely only a few seconds, he simply stared at her.

"_Those aren't the words of a friend,"_ he thought.

Riveria stared right back at him, though she fully recognized the implication her words had given and had to fight not to blush.

"_This isn't about you. He needs you. That's all that matters,"_ she thought.

This continued on for some time, the two just looking at each other, not saying a word.

"_What is he thinking?"_ she wondered.

Had she known what he was thinking at that moment, her heart would have leapt.

"_Maybe I could…,"_ he thought as he stared into her eyes.

Finally, his eyes pulled away as he sighed.

"Thank you," he said.

"You're very welcome," Riveria said with a smile.

"Well, I'm going to be out here a bit longer. My nerves are still a bit fried. Please tell everyone I'll be inside in a few minutes once there's no risk I'll shoot off another lightning bolt."

Riveria chuckled and was about to respond in the affirmative when she caught sight of his pipe and an interesting, if albeit a bit childish idea came to mind.

Achilles was about to put his pipe back in his mouth when he found it suddenly stolen from his hand. A bit startled, he looked up and found a smirking Riveria putting his pipe in her mouth and taking a deep breath. Before he could understand whatever that meant, she blew the smoke right at his face.

Surprised, he began frantically waving his hand in front of his face.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

She chuckled.

"I'm distracting you. Is it working?"

The wheels in his head began turning and after a few moments he began to chuckle himself.

"What?" he said, laughing.

"I figured you could use something to take your mind off things for a moment. This," she held up the pipe. "Presented the opportunity," she stated before putting it back within her mouth and inhaling. "Besides, it's been too long since I last smoked."

Achilles couldn't help but continue chuckling.

"I'm not sure you're supposed to tell someone you're trying to distract them. Kind of defeats the point."

"And yet, your focus is still shifted, is it not?" she replied, smiling with the pipe in her mouth.

He laughed again and nodded.

"I suppose it is."

Achilles watched Riveria smoke for a little while, content to allow her to continue 'distracting' him while smoking his pipe. However, it was not long before he realized something and a faint hint of red came to his cheeks.

"Um...Riveria?"

"Yes?" she asked, noting his change in tone.

"Did you wipe that off before you started using it?"

"Hm, I suppose I didn-," then she realized her mistake.

Her eyes widened and her face went ruby red.

"_She figured it out,"_ he thought.

"_I-I...I just unknowingly took a second-hand kiss from Achilles!"_

Instantly the pipe was out of her mouth and she was handing it back to him.

"I-I'm so sorry. That was uncouth of me. Putting my spit on someone else's property. T-That is so inappropriate."

"It's alright. It's alright," Achilles reassured her. "No harm done."

"Still, I should have known better," she said frantically.

Achilles didn't like seeing his old friend and the woman who may, _may_, have feelings for him looking so flustered. As such, he decided to do something one might call, a bit drastic.

"Riveria," he called gently.

She turned to him and found her eyes somehow widening further as Achilles placed the unclean pipe back in his mouth.

"See," he said calmly. "No harm, no foul."

"_He just willing…"_

"_Gods, I can't remember the last time I was this embarrassed!"_ Achilles screamed internally, but keeping a calm demeanor.

"Now, as much fun as it is talking with you, Riveria, and as much as I appreciate your 'distraction', I would like a few minutes alone, if that's okay?"

"O-Of course!" she replied instantly. "I'll...I'll leave you be."

"Thank you."

"_I can't believe that just happened!" _Riveria thought.

"_I can't believe that just happened,"_ Achilles thought.

Riveria made her way back to the back door of the manor, taking deep breaths to try and calm herself, but soon discovered that any attempts at that were completely worthless as she discovered all of Hestia and her own familia staring at her through the windows with the biggest, 'we caught you' looks she'd had ever seen etched into their faces.

"_Shit."_

Never in her life had she wanted so badly to be swallowed by the earth, burst into flames, or for the Dungeon to spit out an army of monsters, as she did right at that moment.

However, she knew that those situations were unlikely to happen and that her only other option was to make a run for it, but she doubted she would be able to outrun them, especially the two amazons who were practically drooling right now.

"_Gods have mercy,"_ she thought before taking a deep breath and going back inside.

Half of them were smirking at her, none greater than Tiona. The other half seemed surprised, if not outright stunned. Whatever they felt, they were all forced to the side as Tiona began her bombardment.

"You two looked cosy," she said, her voice dripping with teasing.

Riveria took another deep breath, praying her face wasn't showing just how embarrassed she was at the moment.

"I suppose we were," she said, trying to make her sound as nonchalant as possible. It didn't work.

"Gotta say, taking the pipe directly from him, then giving him a teasing little puff was quite something, Riveria. Didn't know you had that in you," Finn said.

Now she knew her face was beginning to heat up, but still, Riveria tried to hold firm.

"I didn't even know you smoked," Tione added.

"They used to smoke occasionally together while talking. Though I don't remember them ever sharing a pipe like that," Gareth informed, smiling.

"Really?!" the amazon sisters asked.

"Please stop," Riveria pleaded.

"Ah, to be young and in love," Finn threw out, making sure to act whimsical.

"I will get you all for this. If it's the last thing I do," the elf swore.

No one took that threat seriously, especially since this was one of the few instances where they had the upper-hand on the elven mage.

Suddenly, Tiona thought of something that made her start to bounce.

"So Riveria! What did he taste like?"

That was all the mother of Loki familia could take and she threw her burning face into her hands as a round of laughter passed through the halls.

"Oh cheer up, Riveria, it's just a little teasing. Besides, it seems like you guys are moving along swimmingly," Finn said.

"I don't know about that," Riveria mumbled through her hands.

"Actually, I think Finn-san's right."

Everyone turned to Bell, who scratched his cheek.

"I can't be sure, but the way he acted...I think he may have already figured it out."

"Figured it…?" Riveria looked up. After a moment, she realized what he meant and her eyes widened. "Please tell me this is another cruel joke."

Embarrassed, Bell shook his head.

"If he hasn't already he's well on his way to. I'm pretty sure I even saw him blush."

That really set Tiona off and she latched onto Riveria.

"Then you should go and confess! If he's blushing that means he likes you!"

"That is so not the truth and after everything that happened over the last two days, me adding a confession on top of his worries would be irresponsible if not downright cruel."

"That is true," Gareth stepped in, deciding that the poor lady had been tortured enough. "He, indeed all of us, have a lot on our plates. Let things come when they should."

Relief filled Riveria at that, even as Tiona gained a look of disappointment.

"Even so," Bell said. "I think he's close to freeing himself. One more good push and I'll think he'll be out."

"Freeing himself?" a few people questioned, but they were ignored by both Bell and Riveria, the former who simply stared at the latter as her eyes widened at the implications of his words.

"_Am I really that close?" _she wondered, her head instinctively turning towards Achilles outside. "_Is it really possible after all this time?"_

* * *

The Loki familia had finally gone home, after a bit more teasing towards Riveria and a suggestion from Finn for some inter-familia training the following day, which Bell and the others had readily accepted. Achilles was finally asleep, having passed out the moment he hit the bed, and Bell was in his room alone, holding a particular item in his hand.

The sigil of Freya seemed to almost shine to him and, like so much else surrounding Freya, seemed to radiate power and mystery.

Deciding he had waited long enough, Bell opened the envelope, pulled out the letter, and began to read.

_To my dearest Bell,_

_I write this letter to you for two reasons. The first, is to learn if you are well. I ask because I have come to learn what transpired between you and Phryne Jamil. My heart aches at the thought of what she tried to do to you, my beloved, and I now find myself desperate to see you again. To make sure you are alright and to comfort you. I always knew you were strong, Bell, but even I seemed to have failed to understand just how strong. A mistake I mean to correct._

_This brings me to my second point. Ottar has informed me of what transpired between you and he in the Dungeon and your position with regards to myself. I would now like to offer you an invitation to meet. It can be wherever and whenever you like. I will do all I can to prove my intentions are pure and to earn your trust. Any questions you have, I will answer. Anything you wish me to do, I shall. I swear this as a goddess, the leader of my familia, and as a woman. So strong is my love for you. So please, my dearly beloved Bell, tell me what I must do._

_Your Most Loving Servant,_

_Freya_

Bell finished reading and took a deep breath.

"No ones going to like this."

* * *

And...end. Well, a bit of a shorter one than I think we're used to, but this was another unexpected chapter that I worked in between planned chapters, so I hope you'll forgive me. I did consider adding one of the next two planned chapters to this one, but then it would have been a monster of a chapter, maybe even 20,000 words long and taken a great deal of time longer to finish, and I don't like to keep you all waiting.

That said, please tell me what you guys thought. I know I don't get everything right, or maybe miss a detail that needs addressing, so your help and feedback is greatly appreciated. Also, feel free to make requests or send me messages, either asking for something or for clarification. A few of you have done that and I enjoyed those conversations. I can't promise that I'll be able to work everything in or that it'll fit for this story, but I'm more than happy to listen.

That said, thank you again for reading and I'll see you all in the next part of our story. So, until then, bye for now.


	22. Chapter 22

Hello my friends. I hope you're all doing well. I know things might seem a bit chaotic right now, but things will be alright in the end. Now, seeing as I don't want to dwell on the problems of the world too long, why don't I give you the distraction you came here for? Let's see how out dear gods and dungeon crawlers are doing, shall we?

P.S. If you need a pick me up then I suggest maybe taking a page out of Achilles's book and listening to J2's _Lean on Me_, youtube link here:  watch?v=MYbyMyeuvXA&list=RDMMtEJpGPHlXo0&index=3

I'll throw in a personal recommendation as well. Trevor DeMaere's, Heaven Above, one of my all-time favorites:  watch?v=H7LyzCwlYTM&list=RDMMtEJpGPHlXo0&index=2

I do not own Danmachi

* * *

Achilles stared at the letter, with tired, worried eyes.

"Well, this does present a bit of a problem," he said, his voice doing nothing to hide his exhaustion.

"Ya think?!" Hestia called back, though her eyes were not on Achilles at the moment, but solely on the captain of her familia.

Bell was practically crying as both Hestia and Lili painfully pulled on his ears, bringing him to his knees as they scolded him.

"This is why I told you to be careful about what you said to a goddess, especially Freya!" Hestia reminded.

"I'm sorry!" Bell cried out.

"Sorry's not good enough!" Lili said, pulling again, causing the rabbit-like young man to cry out.

Achilles sighed. He didn't like seeing his son in pain, but he knew that discipline was required in this situation, at least in Hestia's mind, given what had happened. He had let Bell off easily yesterday, unable to give a punishment after his heartfelt display, but that was then and this was now, and now Hestia had reason to be angry.

"You can't just go and challenge Freya! You'll be playing right into her game. Or worse yet, doing something unexpected which she will absolutely freak out over!" Hestia informed, her fingers getting tighter on Bell's ear with every passing moment.

"I-I'm sorry. I-I just-."

"No excuses!" Hestia cut off. "I thought you were a pure boy, Bell. I never expected you to be a philanderer!"

"I'm not!" her captain defended desperately.

"Alright," Achilles cut in. "I think he's received the point."

"I'm not through yet. We need to drill these lessons into his head and as his goddess it is my duty and my right to discipline my captain as I see fit."

"And it is my duty and my right to protect my son," Achilles threw back. "And if there's one thing that trounces your status as his goddess, it is my status as his father."

Hestia glared at Achilles, trying to force him into submission. However, despite his knowledge of how terrible goddesses can be, Achilles was no pushover and held firm until the loli goddess was forced to relent.

"Fine!" she said, letting go.

Lili, however, remained resistant and, if anything, twisted Bell's ear all the harder.

"Lili," Achilles said, his eyes and tone giving warning.

She glared back, all the hurt and anger she had felt with Bell recently, burning inside her.

"Lil' Lili." She turned to see Welf giving her a gentle look. "Let him go."

Her glare intensified at that, but a quick scan of the room made her quickly realize that she was thoroughly outnumbered. Understanding this, she turned to Bell himself, intent of giving him a piece of her mind. However, she was stopped before she could utter even a single word.

"Lili," Bell said, a hurt in his eyes that was not coming from the pain in his ear. "I'm sorry."

The gentle, honest tone broke whatever resistance Lili had as all the love she felt for the boy before her rushed to the surface, reminding her that, while she was hurt by his recent actions, it was these very kinds of actions that made her fall in love with him in the first place. As such, slowly but surely, her fingers loosened on his ear, until they finally let go and her arm fell.

"Fine," she said quietly.

Everyone eased, Bell most of all, who, after gently rubbing his ear, placed his hand on Lili's head and affectionately stroked her hair.

"Thank you, Lili," he said, giving her a smile.

As much as she didn't want to at that moment, Lili couldn't stop herself from blushing, which irritated Hestia, but she did not interfere and let the moment pass.

"Good," Achilles said once things had calmed down. "Now, let's figure out what to do about this."

"What's there to do? We can't let a meeting take place," Lili stated firmly.

"Unfortunately we can't simply prevent it," Achilles replied. "Though we might want to, outright denying Freya will likely have negative effects, if not from Freya herself, than from her familia. We know they are willing to act on their own, especially if they think some slight has been given to their goddess and, in this case, a slight will have been given," he explained, filling the room with reluctant acceptance and worry. "So we can't just tell her to shove this," he held up the letter. "Somewhere personal. Bell has to have this meeting. However, she did put at least a few cards in our hand." That perked everyone up. "She specifically stated that, in an attempt to make herself trustworthy to Bell, she was willing to have this meeting at any time and at any place. That last bit gives us an advantage in that it can be a place of our choosing, for example," he gestured around. "Here. She also says she is willing to answer any questions and do any request. If we put our minds together we might be able to come up with something that either, one: puts us on a more level playing field with regards to her, or two: if we're very lucky, knocks her off balance."

Everyone nodded. None of them liked this, that was a given, but there was an opportunity here and while they did not doubt that disrupting any plan the goddess of beauty had in mind would be difficult, they all were willing to try.

"Then we'll prepare something really big and knock her off her pedestal," Hestia declared, now pumped up.

The others nodded and smiled, now feeling a bit better and more confident about what was to come.

"Glad to hear it. Now," Achilles said, getting up. "I think it's about time we headed out. Can't keep the Loki familia waiting, Lady Flat-Chest will chew my ear off if we're late."

A few of the Hestia familia chuckled, while one suddenly had an idea.

"Why don't we have the meeting at Twilight Manor?" Ryuu suggested.

Everyone paused and thought about that for a moment.

"That could work. It would certainly be safer. Freya, undoubtedly, will bring at least Ottar with her, if not more of her familia, so having adventurers able to counter them would be beneficial," Achilles noted. "Hestia, would you mind asking Loki about that?"

"Normally I wouldn't like the idea of owing a favor to her, but if it protects Bell and the rest of you, I can accept it, but I want someone else besides Aiz Wallen-whatisit guarding Bell!"

Bell blushed and looked down, knowing now was not the time to try and argue the point.

"Right. Then I guess you'll be tagging along with us on today's visit," the Olympian said.

"Great! It's been too long since me and my Bell-kun have gone on a walk together."

"What makes him yours!?" Lili demanded.

Achilles and the rest of the Hestia familia, minus Bell, who was too busy with the two ladies, all shared a look and Achilles's rolled his eyes.

"_They sure got over their anger quickly, didn't they?"_ he thought.

With that, the Hestia familia, plus one made their way out, knowing that the Miach familia would be taking up the duty of looking after the manor while they were gone.

* * *

"How are the Miach familia doing? Anyone talked to them recently?" Achilles asked.

"They're still shaken up and worried about the future, not that I think anyone can blame them," Hestia said solemnly. "However, their shop is already back up and running and is doing better than it was before. As much as I hate to admit it, Freya's children cleaned and fixed it up really well, and the money she gave them was enough to make some noticeable improvements. I even hear they might be getting another familia member or two soon."

"That's good. They shouldn't suffer because they were dragged into someone else's fight," the Olympian stated resolutely.

No one failed to notice the feeling of guilt that suddenly appeared on the shoulders of Achilles and Bell

"It's not either of your faults'," Hestia said gently.

"Isn't it?" Bell asked.

"No, and don't even think for a moment that it is," Welf said. "Just because Freya and her familia are crazy doesn't mean that any of this is your fault."

"He's right, Bell-san," Ryuu added. "Your kindness and goodness is something to aspire to. While it did attract Freya, her actions, and the actions of her familia are hers and theirs alone."

"Both of you are good people just trying to do what you think is right, there is nothing to be ashamed about," Mikoto confirmed.

"Guys," Bell said, looking around, touched by their affirmations.

"Bell-sama." He turned, finding himself next to Haruhime. "I've said it before, but I'll say it again. You are a hero, as is Achilles," she said giving the older man a smile. "And that is nothing to be ashamed of. Indeed, I fully understand why Freya-sama fell in love with you and Achilles, but that is a far different thing from thinking that all she's done is alright. And though bad things have happened, the blame is hers, not yours. Please try to remember that."

The intensity of this final declaration was too much for Bell, and his head fell as he tried to hide his embarrassment.

"I-I'll do my best. To remember, I mean. What you all said," he further clarified.

"Good. And I hope you do as well, Achilles-kun," Hestia added.

"I'll try," the ex-captain said, smiling.

They finally arrived at Twilight Manor, where the guards, having expected them, escorted them inside to the training area in the gardens where they found the Loki familia already waiting for them.

"Good morning everyone," Finn welcomed, smiling.

"Good morning, Finn-san. Thank you for having us," Bell returned with a bow.

"Think nothing of it," the older captain said.

"I'm glad you could all make it," Riveria said, stepping forward.

"Of course, we'd be foolish not to take this opportunity," Bell replied before his eyes caught sight of a certain golden-haired sword user.

"Morning, Bell," Aiz greeted with a smile.

"Morning, Aiz," he said, returning her smile and adding in a small blush.

Everyone watched the exchange with the usual mixture of reactions. Blatant jealousy from Lefiya, Lili, and Hestia. A more controlled, but also terrifying jealousy from Ryuu. A growl from Bete. Amused looks from Welf, Riveria, Finn, Gareth, Tiona, and Tione. Finally, a roll of the eyes from Achilles. The most interesting however was Haruhime who showed no hint of sadness, jealousy or distress, only a look of content determination.

"_I will not lose hope."_

"Anyway," Achilles said, snapping everyone back to reality, including a now quite embarrassed Aiz and Bell. "We should get to it."

"Right," Finn replied. "You're free to stay and watch if you like, Hestia-sama."

"I'd like that, but first I was hoping to speak to Loki about something," the goddess returned.

"Of course. I'll escort you to her."

"Thank you."

The two broke from the group and began to walk away, but after a few steps, she turned back and called.

"Bell-kun is not allowed to be alone with Aiz Wallen-whatisit!"

The Loki familia was thoroughly confused by the sudden proclamation, none more so than Aiz herself, while the Hestia familia, minus Bell who simply blushed, all sighed.

"As I said," Achilles stated to Riveria. "Over-eager goddesses."

"Ah," the elf replied in understanding, a smile growing upon her lips.

"Putting that aside for the moment, I think it's about time we get started," he said, pulling out his sword. "Let's see what the kiddies can do."

* * *

Hestia and Finn made their way through the halls, Hestia eying the mansion all the way.

"_Not as bad as Freya's but I like mine so much better. It's cosier." _

"She's probably still eating breakfast at the moment so we'll head to the dining area first. Hopefully it's not too crowded," Finn explained.

"_And hopefully Loki hasn't moved on to the girl's bathroom,"_ he thought, unable to prevent a sigh.

"Knowing her she's probably stuffing her face. Honestly, I don't know how she's remained so skinny," Hestia said.

"I suppose that's the benefit of being a goddess," he said with a smile.

"Hm, true. Shame that also means she'll always be flat as a board," the loli goddess returned with a triumphant smile as she thrust out her chest.

Finn chuckled.

"Please just don't say that to her face. I don't want to have to pull two goddesses apart."

"Only if she promises not to call me chibi!"

The two arrived at the dining area and soon discovered that Loki was indeed still eating, or perhaps more accurately, gorging herself.

"_Still better than if we found her peeking on the girls,"_ Finn thought with reluctant thanks.

They approached and Loki quickly noticed them and stopped her feasting.

"Whatcha' doing here, Chibi?"

Finn sighed and a tick mark appeared on Hestia's forehead, but she did not start her usual banter with Loki, instead she pressed forward with as much professionalism as possible.

"_This is for Bell,"_ she reminded herself.

"I was hoping we could talk about something."

"Whatcha want to talk about?" Loki asked, taking a bit of food off her plate.

"This," the blue-eyed goddess pulled out the letter and held it up.

Loki stopped and looked at the piece of paper.

"What's that?" she asked.

"That's Freya's letter to Bell, isn't it?" Finn guessed.

Hestia nodded.

Her interest now piqued, Loki's eyes opened up just a sliver before she reached out and snatched the letter away before beginning to read it.

As she did so, Hestia waited, looking around at the Loki familia present in the room. Most were eating or enjoying some socializing with their familia, but there was one other thing that more than one was doing that alarmed her. They were glaring at her.

Hestia actually jumped a bit when she suddenly found the hostile eyes pointed in her direction, and they were pointed in her direction, of that she was sure. Some adventurer, a man with red hair and rough features, had his eyes pointed directly at her, unashamedly boring into her as if he would pierce her skull.

"_What's going on?"_ she thought

"Let me guess." Hestia jumped as Loki's voice pierced the air. She quickly turned and found that Loki had finished the letter. "You want to have the little meeting here."

Pulled back to why she had come, Hestia, after a moment to regain herself, nodded.

"Yes. We had originally thought of doing it at our home, but we realized that here would be a safer bet, if you were willing to help us."

"Eh, I don't know," Loki said, leaning back into her chair. "I may have an alliance with you guys, but I think I've pissed off Freya quite enough lately. I'm sure she's already pissy that your little rabbit likes my Aiz-tan and I'm not sure I want to push her anymore."

Things went quiet for a moment as Loki and Finn waited for Hestia's response.

"I understand," she finally said.

That caught them off guard.

"Ya' do?" Loki asked.

Hestia nodded.

"I do. You've been dragged into our mess and delving even deeper isn't exactly something anyone wants to do in any given situation. However," her eyes became resolute. "I will do what I must for my familia and for Bell so please," she bowed deeply before Loki. "Help me once again."

"Chibi," Loki said, a bit stunned.

"Name your price. If it's within my power, I will give it."

This was not a side that Loki saw from Hestia often, if ever, and quite frankly, it freaked her out a bit.

"S-Stop bowing to me, it's weird!" the trickster goddess practically shouted.

Hestia stood up and looked her directly in the eyes, her own sapphire marbles holding such sheer determination that it was kind of hard for Loki to hold her gaze.

"Alright, geez! No need to look at me like that, I was just pulling your leg anyway. I'll help ya, but you owe me a big favor!"

"Really?!" Loki nodded. "Thank you, Loki!" Hestia shouted, smiling brightly.

Heat came to Loki's cheeks.

"_When did Chibi get so freaking cute?"_

Finn smiled at the whole exchange, not failing to notice the bit of red on his goddesses cheeks.

"_Looks like everything's worked out,"_ he thought.

"Well, I'm glad that's settled," he said.

"Yeah, yeah. Now can I get back to eating my breakfast?" Loki asked.

"Of course, we'll leave you to it. Thank you again, Loki," Hestia said before bowing again.

"Geez, stop with the bowing already, it's weirding me out!"

Finn and Hestia departed, leaving Loki, with a bit of red still on her cheeks, to resume eating and hopefully distract herself from the weird things and thoughts the day had been offering her.

Not too far away, more than one member of the Loki familia was eying the departing goddess with malice.

"_Why does Rabbit Foot's familia get so much attention?"_

* * *

Finn and Hestia returned to the others and found them all in the midst of training.

"How's it going?" Hestia asked, Achilles, who was watching everyone from a distance.

"Well. Very well," he replied. "How did things go with Loki?"

"She agreed to help us, but I do owe her a favor now. But, if it helps Bell, I don't mind," she said with a smile.

Achilles smiled back then turned to Finn.

"Quite the familia you've got here."

"Thank you. They've all worked very hard to get where they are now."

"I can tell. And they're willing to help less experienced adventurers along the way. That's not something everyone can say."

"They're all good kids, even if they sometimes appear rough around the edges," Finn said, taking note of Bete, who was currently, it appeared, helping Haruhime and Lili with learning some basic hand-to-hand techniques while looking extremely frustrated.

"Well I know a thing or two about rough edges," Achilles stated.

His eye caught sight of Mikoto who was training with Tione at the moment and seemed to be having a bit of a tough time.

Deciding to help, he walked over to the two young ladies, causing them to stop.

"How are things going?" he asked.

"Tione-dono is very strong," Mikoto answered, clearly a bit worn down.

"I told you, Tione is fine, or Tione-san," the amazon said.

"Well, she is a level six, so I'm not expecting you to win the fight, however, remember what I told you before, Mikoto. Have confidence in yourself. Use your arsenal of skills to your advantage. You don't just have to use your swordsmanship. For example, have you ever thought of adding throwing knives to weaponry?"

She shook her head.

"No. I have a spare knife in case I lose my sword, but I do not have any knowing knives."

"Then I'd suggest adding them. They're a good back-up and range weapon, and can be used to distract your enemies and keep them at a distance. You could also try needles. They're not as damaging as knives and are a bit of a niche weapon, but they're harder to deflect and, if you want, you can add a little something to them."

"'A little something'?" Mikoto questioned.

"Yeah. Like poison." Seeing the grimace on Mikoto's face, he added. "It doesn't need to be full-on poison. Maybe something that causes paralysis or puts your enemies to sleep. That last one could be useful if there's someone you don't really want to fight, but need to pass."

A bit calmer now, Mikoto thought this for a moment, before nodding.

"I will take that into consideration, Achilles-dono."

"Thank you. Be sure to talk to Welf about the knives at least. Specializing in one weapon is all well and good, even admirable, but everyone needs a backup. Speaking of which, how's our resident smith holding up?"

He turned his attention to Welf, who was currently battling against Tiona. Achilles had set them up because they were both heavy hitters focusing on large, two-handed weapons. He watched them for a few moments, taking note of their different styles, and checking for openings and weaknesses. After a quick, but thorough inspection, he went over to them.

"You guys seem to be having fun," he noted.

"Yeah, Red here is a really good sport!" Tiona said happily.

"Just doing my best to keep up with you," Welf said with a tired smile.

"Hehe."

"Well, I'm glad to see you're getting along," Achilles said. "And both of you seem to be quite comfortable with your weapons. However, I noticed that both of you have a tendency of leaving your sides open during your big swings, especially you, Welf. You don't have the strength and speed that Tiona does, obviously, so you can't protect yourself as well. That's why I wanted to ask you if you've given my idea on wearing armor more thought."

Welf brought his sword down and nodded.

"I have. I have been working on some chainmail to give me some protection without losing my mobility, though I'm concerned about adding too much weight."

Achilles nodded.

"Chainmail is a good choice. Flexible, but durable in most cases. And weight will be a concern, no matter the armor. Going from no armor to armor does make things a bit more difficult, but it's the price we pay for better protection. If you're willing, I might also suggest scaled armor. It's heavier and not as flexible as chainmail, but offers more protection, especially from piercing attacks. Or perhaps you could use what I used, lorica segmentata. It's even heavier than scale, but the overlapping plates give great protection and allow more flexibility than standard plate armor. Hephaestus herself made mine. I still remember how she made the individual plates skinnier than the average lorica, which allowed me even more flexible while maintaining the protection. Of course, because it was special and took more effort she charged me a fortune for it, but almost nothing got through it, so it was worth it."

Welf took this all in with eager appreciation.

"I'll start experimenting when I get home and see what works best," he said.

"Excellent. Glad to hear it. You might want to think of some armor as well, Tiona-san. I know you're a level six and with your strength and speed you can handle yourself, but that doesn't make you invulnerable."

"I don't know. I've always kind of not liked armor. Just kind of gets in the way," she said.

"That's why you've got to find the right kind. It doesn't have to be bulky plate armor like they depict in fairy tales, it can be something more simple. Arm guards, for example, can be used to block incoming attacks while giving you just that much more protection. I actually think some gauntlets would fit you quite nicely. You look like you enjoy a good fist fight, and if you added some spikes to the knuckles you could do some nasty damage to any poor sap that decided to tangle with you."

"I can add spikes to them?!" Tiona asked, suddenly very excited.

"Of course. Seen it plenty of times before."

"Cool!"

"Indeed," Achilles said, glad to see the girl was now considering it. "And, if you're willing, maybe some leather armor for your torso. Nice and light, while giving decent protection."

Tiona looked down at her torso and, suddenly, her excitement disappeared.

"But...won't that make it impossible for them to grow?"

The two men were confused what she meant by this for a moment, but after thinking on it, and seeing where she was looking, they both realized and they both quickly turned away, a bit of red on their cheeks.

"I don't know about that," Achilles said, looking anywhere but at the girl.

However, upon noticing the silence that met him in return, he slowly turned back and saw the sad look the formerly bouncy girl had. Seeing it, he sighed.

"Tiona," he called.

She looked up.

"I know that you might be feeling that you haven't...forgive me if I'm stepping over the line here...developed, as you would have wanted, but I'm going to tell you two important things, if that's okay with you?"

Sad though her eyes were, she nodded.

"One: we men have our own version of...feeling inadequate, as it were."

"You do?" she asked.

"Indeed we do. In our…" his blush grew. "Personals."

Tiona took a moment to process this then looked down, causing Achilles's blush to intensify as he turned a bit away.

"So you're not alone on this issue," he said, forcing the issue forward.

Luckily Tiona played along and her eyes snapped back to his face.

"Secondly, I'll tell you a little secret about us men."

"A secret?" Tiona asked, now a little bit interested.

"Yep, one that you members of the fairer sex seem to not have figured out for some reason. That secret is, for every kind of woman, there is a man that will desire her."

Tiona cocked her head in confusion.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that not all men want the same thing. In fact, I've known quite a few men in my life who would find your figure to be ideal."

Light filled Tiona's eyes.

"Really?!"

"Mhm," Achilles responded, nodding. "There's a guy out there for every kind of woman. Those men I was talking about, would be more than happy to snatch you up and love on you until you burst, so, with that in mind, don't think of yourself as inadequate, Tiona. You're not. Some men may like 'fuller' figures, others will like tall girls, and still others will think your figure is absolute perfection. In fact, there's a word for women like you. It's called lithe, and believe me, plenty of men are fans of that."

The last of Tiona's disappointment and unease disappeared as she beamed at him.

"You really think there's guys out there who would like me?"

"I'm sure there's plenty out there that already do, Tiona, not only because you match their preferences physically, but also because you're a fun, strong young woman who a man would be lucky to have."

"No one's ever said that to me before. Thank you!" Tiona said, before hugging him.

"Just telling the truth, Tiona. No need for thanks," he said, returning the hug.

Tiona pulled away, still beaming.

"Well, I'm pumped up now!" She declared.

"Alright, then maybe ask one of your familia to train so you can burn off that energy," he suggested.

"Roger that!" she returned before running off.

The amazon now gone, Achilles turned to Welf.

"Tell no one about that conversation."

The smith readily nodded.

"No problem."

That settled, Achilles turned his attention to Bell, finding him exactly where he had been before; with Aiz, a smile on his face with a smaller, but still very present one, also taking residence on the Sword Princess's lips.

"_These two are so close it's almost painful to see them dance around each other not knowing how the other feels,"_ he thought. "_Then again,"_ his eyes turned. "_It appears I may have been dancing too."_

Riveria was with Lefiya, teaching her ways of improving her magic.

"Take deep breaths and be patient with yourself. No one becomes strong overnight. It's a process and frustration will only hurt you," she said gently.

The girl nodded, but it was clear that Lefiya was stressed and Riveria suspected it had something to do with the white-haired young man a few paces away.

"_His growth is remarkable, but I suspect it's unique to him,"_ she thought as she watched the young man battle against her favorite blonde.

She suddenly felt as if she was being watched and turned towards the source. She jumped a bit when she found that it was Achilles who was staring at her. He smiled at her and she smiled back, but even at the distance she was, she noticed that something seemed different somehow.

"_They feel…"_ she thought for a moment. "_Warmer."_

Soon enough, her cheeks felt warmer at the possibility that sentiment presented, and she turned away, afraid he might see her cheeks, leading to yet another episode of embarrassment.

"_But...if that's true,"_ she thought. "_Then...does that mean Bell was right?"_

She didn't know, but she dared, if only for a brief moment, to hope that perhaps the young man she had made an alliance with not so long ago, was correct.

Achilles watched Riveria for a moment, still smiling, before realizing what he was doing, blushing, and turning away.

"_Stop it, you already told yourself it was ridiculous, there's no reason to start ogling her. Though,"_ his smile returned. "_The fact that I am ogling her is quite the shift for me, embarrassing as it is to admit."_

Setting aside those thoughts for now, he made his way over to Bell and Aiz who, upon seeing him, stopped their spar, both a little worn down, but both undeniably happy.

"You two seem to be natural sparring partners," the Olympian commented.

"We've had a lot of practice. I wouldn't have gotten nearly as far as I did without Aiz," Bell said.

"You've been a good student and sparring partner, it's been interesting to watch you grow," Aiz replied.

Achilles noted that, whereas before there was the tiniest shred of jealousy in Aiz's voice upon noting Bell's growth, now there was none. If anything, she seemed to take pride in his rapid advancement and her part to play in it.

"_So damn close, yet so damn far,"_ Achilles thought.

"I can imagine. I've only been here for a few weeks and things have been exceedingly interesting. That said, Bell," he turned to his son. "Would you mind if I borrow Aiz?"

"Oh. Not at all," the young captain replied.

"Thank you. Tiona! Tione! Would you two mind coming over here for a moment?"

"What's up?" Tiona asked.

"I want to compare how Aiz deals with one and two weapon wielders. Mind helping me out with that?" Achilles asked.

"No problem!" the amazon said happily.

"That okay with you, Aiz?" Achilles asked.

She nodded.

"Of course."

"Great, then take your positions."

The three ladies moved into place, Achilles's eyes carefully watching them and checking their form. Seeing that everything seemed as it should be, he called out.

"Begin."

The sisters came at Aiz with the ferocity their race was known for. However, Aiz took their attacks in stride. Blocking, then countering, then dodging with ease, her speed being more than enough to match them, even in a two-on-one situation.

"_She is quite good,"_ Achilles recognized, nodding as he watched Aiz gracefully move about. "_Pretty easy to see why Bell became smitten."_

He allowed himself a quick glance out of his peripheral vision and saw the look of awe on Bell's face.

"_Well,"_ he thought, growing a smile. "_Even if it's not the one I wanted for him, at least I know it's real."_

The three battled for another minute or so, before Achilles called an end to it.

"Well done, all three of you. You're all quite something."

"Hehe," Tiona said with a smile.

"All in all you seem to know what you're doing or are aware of where your weaknesses are, so there's not too much for me to say. That may be especially true for you, Aiz. Your focus and drive are quite remarkable, even amongst high level adventurers. The only thing I can really recommend is maybe try and be a bit more spontaneous. Try something new, just to shake things up. It might disrupt your flow, but it could help in making sure that no opponent of yours gets used to your style."

Aiz was a bit stunned. Yes, they had trained together before, but she was acutely aware that the older adventurer did not much care for her, or at least held some disdain for her, especially after recent events. Yet here he was, giving both honest advice and praise. As such, it took her a moment to take it all in.

"Um...thank you," she said.

"You're welcome. Anyway, I'll let you three get back to it," he replied.

Making his way back to Bell, he found his son smiling even more brightly at him, having clearly heard the kind words his father had given his beloved.

"She's really something isn't she?"

Achilles rolled his eyes.

"Yeah she is. Now, shouldn't you be training too?"

"Yeah, but," Bell's eyes focused back on the Sword Princess who was currently battling an enthusiastic Tiona. "I want to watch her. Just for a moment for two."

Achilles stared at his son for a moment, before sighing.

"_It really is going to be a challenge for Haruhime, even if there is room in his heart,"_ he recognized.

"Alright, take a short break to catch your breath. But when you come back, I expect all that giddiness to be translated into fighting energy."

Bell blushed, but still managed to smile and nod.

Leaving his son to his new favorite pastime, Achilles went around, checking up on everyone and giving pointers. He found himself both impressed with the skill and dedication of those around him, as well as a few surprises, like when Bete, who was still training Haurhime in basic hand-to-hand combat, yelled at the girl, not because she was failing, but because, as he put it, he had seen her strength during the monster incident and she needed to have more confidence in herself. That had surprised the renard princess as well, but after getting over her surprise, she had smiled and redoubled her efforts, getting the closest thing to approval the wolf was willing to give.

"_Just don't try anything puppy dog. I consider that girl my daughter in all but blood and will act as such if you decide to get presumptuous," _Achilles thought, eying Bete warily.

Finally, after making his rounds, he returned to Bell and found him still watching Aiz.

He rolled his eyes again.

"Still watching?"

Bell jumped, and spun around, his cheeks nice and red.

"I-I'm sorry! It's just," he turned back to Aiz. "Watching her..how she moves so effortlessly...so perfectly...it kind of makes me want to learn swordsmanship."

That caught Achilles's attention.

"You want to learn swordsmanship?"

Bell nodded.

"But I can't just ask Aiz. She's busy and already done more than enough for me."

Things went quiet for a moment as Bell simply continued to watch Aiz.

"Bell."

The young man turned and found his father giving him an odd look.

"What?" he asked.

The look intensified.

"Did you forget who your father was?"

The wheels in Bell's head began to spin and, after a second or two, he realized his mistake and his eyes widened.

"Oh!"

Achilles was honestly afraid his eyes were going to roll out of his head if this kept up, so decided to simply grab Bell and pull him along.

"Aiz!" the Olympian called.

"Yes?" she returned, stopping her spar.

"Looks like Bell wants to learn swordsmanship, so you and I are going to give him the basics today."

Aiz turned to Bell.

"You want to learn how to use a sword?" she asked.

Bell blushed and nodded, hoping she wouldn't ask _why_ he wanted to learn.

For some reason that she couldn't explain, that made Aiz really happy and soon she was smiling at Bell.

"I'd be happy to teach you," she said.

The smile surprised Bell, but only for a moment, as soon the joy within it infected his soul and he found himself smiling as well.

"Then I put myself in your care."

Achilles, who had watched the entire exchange take place, pinched the bridge of his nose.

"_How have they not figured it out yet?"_

"In both our care," Achilles pointed out.

"O-Oh...r-right," Bell replied, embarrassed that he had forgotten about his father. "B-But...I don't have a sword."

"You can borrow one from us," Aiz pointed out. "We have plenty of sparring weapons ready for just that purpose."

"That won't be necessary," Achilles said, causing them both to turn to him. "You can use this."

Then, to the shock of both of them, and soon enough, everyone else, Achilles pulled out _Dragon's Bane_ and held it out towards Bell.

The older members of the Loki familia couldn't believe it. They knew how much that sword meant to Achilles as well as the fact that no one else had ever had the privilege of using it, so for Achilles to be offering it so easily was, simply put, more than a tad shocking.

Riveria was the first to recover from her shock and soon a smile graced her lips.

"_He really isn't that far from his former self and, in some ways, he's even stronger."_

"A-Are you sure?" Bell asked, his eyes moving back and forth between the sword and his father.

"Of course," Achilles replied instantly. "There's no other sword I'd want you to use. Besides, that'll probably be yours one day."

Bell's eyes widened further while Riveria's smile grew in tandem,

"_Yes. He really has grown,"_ Riveria thought, happily watching the scene.

"I...I don't know what to say," Bell finally managed to say.

"You don't need to say anything. Just take it," Achilles stated, giving him a small smile.

Finally, his hands a bit shaky, Bell reached out, and took the sword.

"How's it feel?" his father asked.

Bell took a moment to reply, feeling the sword in his hand and trying to come up with the right words.

"It's...heavier than it looks, but lighter than I expected. And...it kind of feels...right?"

Achilles's smile grew.

"Of course it does, it knows who it's future partner is going to be."

Bell, after hearing that, couldn't have stopped his smile even if he had wanted to.

"Thanks Dad."

"You're welcome. Now come on, hold it up," the ex-captain said, signally to Bell. "A little higher. Over your head. Move your feet here, like this. There you go. Now straighten your back like so. Alright. How's that feel?"

"It's a bit different, but this isn't the first time I've used a sword so it's not so awkward."

"Good, then Aiz, if you're willing to help a bit, I want you to just go through the basic motions right now. Focus on defense for now. I'll be off to the side watching his posture and feet."

"Right," Aiz said, now smiling quite brightly herself having gotten a front row seat to Bell and Achilles's moment.

"Alright, then whenever you two are ready," Achilles said, before backing away.

The two began, Aiz on the offense and Bell on the defensive getting used to the new weapon in his hands.

Achilles watched them silently, focusing on Bell so he could figure out how best to help the young man improve.

"I never thought I'd see the day that you let someone else use your sword."

Achilles turned to find Riveria now beside him and smiling.

"It's just a sword," he tried to brush off.

"That's not true and we both know it."

He sighed.

"Perhaps it should be."

That gave her pause.

"Achilles?"

He was silent for a moment, his eyes trained on Bell and Aiz.

"You remember when I got that sword? How excited I was?"

She nodded.

"I do."

"Do you know why?" he turned back to her, his eyes boring into her.

"Why?" she asked, her voice quiet in fear of an answer she wasn't sure she wanted.

"Because it represented something. Hope. A bright future without the Great Beasts. A future where the fear of them was gone. A future with endless possibility. A future where I-," he stopped.

"_Where I was with Freya."_

His fists tightened.

"And that future was destroyed. In a way, my failure to kill the Dragon made the world even worse. If my and Hera familia could kill the other two beasts, but were destroyed by the third, then what could kill it? That's the question that has sat, hanging in the air, ever since. Because we failed. Because _I_ failed," blood creeped through his fingers as his nails bit through the skin of his palm. "Now the sword is a painful reminder of my failure. Of everything I lost. In all honesty, I considered getting rid of it more times than I can count. However," his eyes refocused on Bell and a small smile came to his lips. "A future where it becomes Bell's weapon. Where he wields it, is a future I'm willing to fight for."

He expected Riveria to deny his words. To give him some grand speech about how it wasn't his fault. He wouldn't believe her of course, but he would appreciate the effort. However, he found himself jumping a bit when, instead of words, he found the soft caress of skin against his hand.

Turning, he found Riveria opening up his hand and fitting her own inside. That done, she looked up at him and smiled.

"And I'll be there, fighting right beside you."

He was stunned. Her words. Her hand. Her eyes, so filled with honesty, determination, compassion, and one more thing that he recognized, but didn't dare voice.

"_Riveria."_

Slowly, but surely, his shock turned to calm, then to joy as his smile returned and he gently squeezed her hand.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Feeling closer than they ever had, the two, still hand in hand, turned back to Bell and Aiz who were still sparring, though, unbeknownst to the ex-captain and motherly elf, they were the only two that were still training as all the others were focused on the Olympian and the Nine Hells.

Tiona was barely able to stop herself from bursting with excitement as she bounced up and down with extreme vigor, her sister having to restrain her, even as she herself smiled. Finn and Gareth both smiled approvingly, glad with how close their friend was to completing her goal. Lefiya, for all her complaints with regards to Achilles, was content to smile. Bete, still not happy with the new revelation, was willing to keep his growls to a minimum and wish the elf luck, though that was only to himself of course. The Hestia familia also looked on happily at the two. Hestia smiled, glad to see this weary child finding some happiness himself. Lili, Welf, Mikoto, and Ryuu all smiled at the soon-to-be couple, happy for them and wishing them a joyful future. Lastly, Haruhime watched the two, a hand over her heart as her love for the man that she more and more saw as her father finally found some peace and love himself.

"_I'm so happy for you, Achilles. I know she'll make you happy,"_ she thought.

Luckily for the two, they were completely oblivious to all this, else they would have broken apart and distanced themselves from the other out of sheer embarrassment. As it was, Achilles simply continued watching Aiz and Bell spar with a smile as he allowed Riveria's warmth to pass into his hand.

"_The two really are remarkable aren't they?" _ he thought as he watched them trade blows. "_Both determined. Both wicked fast, yet in such different ways. Bell, like a rabbit, bouncing around"_ he chuckled. "_And Aiz, like she's floating on the wind, or even the wind itself."_

He suddenly found himself being blinded as the sunlight reflected off of Aiz's hair, getting him right in the eye.

"_Sheesh, those are some golden locks,"_ he thought as he blinked repeatedly.

The moment he turned back, he froze.

Aiz's back was to him, as she stood between him and Bell, her position portraying a strength that few possessed, and which seemed all too familiar to Achilles.

_He was face down on the ground. His entire familia was gone, as was the Hera familia. His friends. His family. Destroyed by the creature in front of him, now smiling at him with that malevolent red eye._

"_Not like this," he growled. "If I'm going down," he pushed himself up, his body screaming, especially his abdomen that he knew, without even looking down, now openly displayed his muscle and internal organs. "I'm taking you with me," he said._

_The Dragon, whether because it heard him or simply didn't like that its prey was still resisting, lost its smile._

"_Come on you ugly flying lizard." The Dragon glared at him. "This fight isn't over until we're both dead."_

_The Dragon did not look like it agreed with that sentiment and prepared to finish this lowly human._

"_Stop!"_

_Suddenly, to the shock of the all-but-dead Achilles, a figure appeared. A woman with golden hair and blue eyes jumped between him and the Dragon, holding up her arms._

"_That's enough!"_

_He could nothing but stare as this woman, who appeared as quickly as the wind, placed herself between him and the most dangerous creature in the world._

"_Who is she?"_

Achilles's eyes widened.

"_I finally know who it was."_

"Achilles?"

He blinked and turned and found a worried Riveria looking at him.

"What's wrong?" she asked, having noticed the change in demeanor even before his hand began to squeeze hers.

"I-," he turned back to Aiz, his eyes still wide as the truth overwhelmed him. "I just figured out who saved me from the Dragon."

"You did? Who was it?" Riveria asked in surprise.

He turned back to her, a hint of pain entering his eyes as he began to realize the repercussions of his discovery.

"Aria Waldstein."

Riveria's mouth fell open.

"Aria...Waldstein?"

He nodded.

"Yes. It all makes sense now," he turned back to Aiz. "Aria is a powerful spirit that doesn't age and was captured by the Dragon. Even if it's been over a millennia since her capture it would be possible for her to be alive. But-," his face scrunched in confusion. "I have no idea why the Dragon didn't kill her."

Riveria didn't know what to say. This was a lot to take in and at the same time was clearly very upsetting for Achilles.

"What...What are you going to do?" she finally decided on.

He sighed.

"There's really only one thing I can do if I want to claim I have any sort of integrity," he looked her in the eye. "Aiz's mother saved me, at the very least she has the right to know that, as of fifteen years ago, her mother was still alive."

She agreed with him, but there was one problem.

"But if you tell her she might-."

"Revert back to her obsession over the Dragon?" he finished for her.

"Well...I don't think she'll completely revert," she tried to defend. "But it could damage the progress she's made."

"That seems very likely," he said, his voice now tired and his body having lost the energy it had only a moment ago. "But I owe it to her. I haven't been the kindest to her and every child deserves to know if their parent is still alive."

She couldn't really disagree with that, but that didn't mean she liked the idea.

"_She's so close to moving on. To filling the hole in her heart,"_ her eyes turned to Bell who was smiling at Aiz. Worse yet, she was smiling back and seemed so happy and fulfilled. The idea of breaking that with this news felt like a knife to Riveria's heart.

"I understand why you think you should tell her, and I agree in principle, but," she stared into his eyes, pleading with him, begging him to take her next words to heart. "Does it have to be now? When she's so close to opening her heart? Can't it wait? Just for a while?"

"_Gods,"_ he thought.

The sight of Riveria's pleading eyes hurt him in ways that few things could. He wanted to tell her 'yes'. Wanted to smile and say that things could be put off for a while. To tell her that they would wait for a better time. A happier time when the revealing would not disrupt the progress Aiz had made. A future where, instead of falling back into her thirst for revenge, she would turn to all of them for help and they all, together, would find a way to rescue the person who had rescued him. He wanted to say this, but he couldn't. It wasn't fair to Aiz to hide the truth, even for a moment.

He leaned forward and kissed Riveria's forehead, before placing his own against hers.

"I'm sorry."

He pulled away and made his way over to Aiz and Bell, his heart heavy and his eyes full of sadness.

Aiz and Bell were both sweating, their friendly spar having turned into an excited bout of slashed and blocks, yet not for a moment had their smiles left them.

"Seems things are going well."

They turned and found Achilles right next to them, staring down at their exhausted selves.

"Yes. Very well," Bell said with a smile.

"Yes," Aiz added, smiling as well.

However, their smiles soon began to wane, then disappeared as they noticed the chill in the air. Both focused on the source and discovered that Achilles was not sharing their joy, but looking down upon them with sad eyes.

"Dad?"

Achilles turned to him and tried his best to give his boy a smile, though he knew it was pitiful.

"Bell, do you mind if I borrow Aiz for a moment?"

"Um," Bell turned to Aiz and the two shared a look. Neither understood what was going on and were a bit nervous, but they decided to press on even so. "Not at all."

"Thank you," Achilles turned to Aiz. "Would you mind following me?"

Aiz simply nodded and, with that, the two left Bell whose anxiousness grew with each passing second.

* * *

Achilles and Aiz made their way away from the group, far enough away for privacy and to make sure that no one heard them. When they were, Achilles turned back to Aiz, his expression even sadder than before.

"Aiz, there is something important I have to tell you, but before I do, there's something I want to say, that is, while I have not always held you in the highest esteem, I do recognize the goodness within you. You are a wonderful young lady and I'm glad that Bell has gotten to know you. In the recent weeks you have grown quite profoundly and shown yourself to be more than just the Sword Princess. Please remember that last bit especially when I tell you this. That you are not merely an adventurer or a warrior, but someone others care about quite dearly. Can you do that for me?"

Stunned and not sure what else to do, Aiz simply nodded.

"Good. Then I'll explain why I brought you here," he took a deep breath. "You see, Aiz, people often ask me how I survived my fight with the Dragon and I always tell them the same thing, 'I got lucky'. That's not me being modest or trying to simply end the conversation, it is the truth. For, you see, I was rescued by someone."

The moment he said those words, her entire demeanor changed. In an instant she went from confused to something else. Something that could only really be described as determined rage.

"It appears," Achilles said, immediately seeing the change. "You know what I'm about to say."

"She rescued you," Aiz said, her voice frigid and hard.

"Yes. I didn't know who it was at first and only just realized it, but yes, your mother, Aria Waldstein rescued me and as of fifteen years ago was still alive."

The Sword Princess's eyes looked ready to burst into flames.

"What happened after she saved you?" Aiz all but demanded.

"My memory is still a bit hazy, but I remember that she and the Dragon flew off after I was rescued and she healed my wounds as best as she could."

The area was silent for a moment, all the rage the Aiz had done so much to unburden herself of, reemerging from the dark part of her heart as the knowledge she had known all along, that her mother was still alive, was finally confirmed.

"Thank you," she said finally, her voice holding no hint of warmth. "I appreciate you telling me this," she finished before turning away.

"Aiz!"

She stopped and turned back to him.

"Don't let this ruin everything you've built. You have friends. A familia that cares about you. You have Bell who would do just about anything for you. Don't throw that all away for your hatred. I understand, better than anyone, how much hate for that thing can consume you, but please, for your sake and theirs, don't let go of everything else because of that monster."

For a second, the anger ceased. Thoughts of her friends, her familia filling her mind. Their smiles. Their laughter. The challenges they had faced and overcome together. Then Bell entered her mind. His smile and the way it made her feel so warm. So safe. So at peace. She hadn't truly felt that way since before the Dragon had taken everything from her.

"_No,"_ her eyes turned cold again. "_Not everything. It won't take everything. I won't allow it."_

"Thank you, Achilles," she repeated. "But I won't allow that monster to take anything else from me. I will rescue my mother and I will do it alone so that I won't risk losing any of you."

She turned and left, leaving Achilles nothing but a heavy mind and heavier heart.

"_And what if they lose you, Aiz Waldstein? Do you think that pain in their hearts will be easily overcome?"_

He made his way back, his feet dragging as he had not the energy to properly lift them. Finally though, he returned to everyone and found them all looking with concern at Aiz, who was now throwing herself into her training with an unnatural vigor.

"Dad." He turned. "What's going on?" Bell asked, his eyes filled with worry. "What happened?"

Achilles sighed.

"I'm sorry, Bell, but I do believe I just made things quite a bit harder for you."

* * *

And done! Goodness, this one was a bit harder than I thought it would be. I've had this one planned for months, but as I wrote it, it just seemed kind of off or like it was missing something. I actually almost changed it at the very end to give you guys the option of whether or not Achilles would tell her or not when Riveria asked him not to, but I was afraid it would mess up the next chapter, so I ended up not, so my apologies, especially to all the Aiz and Aiz X Bell fans. Still, you wouldn't expect a story to be able to provide such resistance would you?

Anyway, I do hope you guys enjoyed it. Please tell me what you thought of the chapter, also, given that I want to cheer you guys in these difficult times (if you're in the future, I hope you're doing _much_ better), I am opening this story up to you guys. If you have any recommendations to brighten peoples' day, feel free to share them. Music. Videos. Art. Anything. Send me your recommendations and I'll put a link to them in the next chapter or chapters, based on how many come in and when. I do hate how this whole situation has played out, and it truly seems ridiculous to me, but if tackling it head on gives me the opportunity to better light up your day (assuming I have that power) then I'll do it. Please just be appropriate. Don't send me a link to a hentai or suggest _Down with the Sickness_ by Disturbed or something like that, please.

That said, I wish you all the best and I'll see you all next time for the BIG chapter I've been waiting to write since before I even officially began this story. So, until then, bye for now.


	23. Chapter 23

Hello my dear friends. I hope you are all doing wonderfully.

IT'S FINALLY HERE! The chapter I've been planning for over a year! This will be a big one, and I'm very excited. In some ways this chapter is the true start to the story as we begin delving into the heart of the plot. Funny, if I remember correctly, it was originally supposed to be chapter five of this story. Well...that didn't happen. Not that I'm complaining, all the additions have been fun. But, I shouldn't say anymore, if not to protect myself against spoilers than to protect against building too much anticipation and failing to live up to it. That said, if you want to know how important this chapter is, I'll say this. Normally, when I'm writing these, I give myself an outline. It usually spans about one to one and a half pages. This one was almost four pages long. But enough of my yammering. It's time for the story. So let's jump in!

Oh, and we hit over 100,000 views for this story! Thank you all very much!

I do not own Danmachi

* * *

Anxiety filled the air. How could it not? Ever since Aiz had returned from her talk with Achilles, she had thrown herself into her training with an absolutely terrifying vigor that bordered on recklessness, and no one knew why. Correction, two knew why and it was for that reason that Finn was currently eying the sad form of Riveria and the tired form of Achilles with questioning eyes.

"_They know what's going on, and I think it's about time that whatever they know is brought to light,"_ the Loki captain thought.

"Alright," he called. "I think that should do it for today. Everyone seems pretty tuckered out."

Most seemed relieved by this, perhaps Tiona especially given that she not only had noticed Aiz's shift, but had also been one of the main recipients of her vigorous assault and looked exceedingly worn down. Aiz however, upon hearing the declaration, turned to Finn with blazing eyes.

"I can keep going," she said, her voice as cold and hard as stone.

"_That's not the problem here,"_ Finn thought.

"Well the others seem pretty tired, so I'm calling an end to today's training," he responded.

That did not sit well with Aiz, but there was little she could do.

"Then I'll head to the Dungeon," she said, before proceeding to make her way out.

However, before she could get very far, a familiar voice called out to her.

"Aiz!"

She stopped, then slowly turned.

"What is it Bell?" she asked.

"Is...is something wrong? If there is, then I...we, would be more than willing to help," he replied, gesturing around him.

Aiz finally looked around and saw the concerned and confused looks of everyone there. Those looks filled her with guilt as she realized what was happening. What she was doing. Her fight against the Dragon was causing her to push them away again.

"_I shouldn't do that,"_ she recognized. "_I still care about them. They're still my…"_ she looked at Bell, his concerned, but warm eyes boring directly into her own, causing a warmth to fill her and that weird feeling in her stomach to return. "_Friends?"_

"_One day, you'll find someone who you'll always want to be with like I always want to be with your father, and when you do, dear Aiz, don't let them go."_

Her mother's words echoed in her mind, causing her eyes to widen.

"_Do I...Do I love…?"_

However, before she could realize the truth, other, darker words began to fill her mind.

"_...your mother, Aria Waldstein rescued me and as of fifteen years ago was still alive."_

_"What if you lost them all? Would that be worth it? What about Bell? Would losing him be worth it in your eyes?"_

The image of Achilles seared its way into her mind, burning away her previous question. However, it did not, by a heavenly grace, burn away all the potential that question held and replace it with naught but grim determination. Instead, it combined and molded into something new, though Aiz herself did not fully recognize it.

"_I won't lose them. I won't lose any of them. Riveria. Tiona. Tione. Lefiya. My mother…"_ her eyes refocused on Bell. "_Bell. I won't lose anyone. I will keep them safe."_

"Everything's fine, Bell," she said resolutely. "I won't let anything bad happen."

Bell had little time to process this confusing statement before Aiz leapt away, intent on becoming strong enough, not to destroy the Dragon, but to protect everything she loved.

* * *

"The rabbit still hasn't answered our lady," Allen growled.

"We are aware," Hedin said, not even looking up from his book.

"Then tell me why we're not doing something about it!" the catman demanded.

"What would you have us do?" Grer asked, clearly not liking Allen's tone.

"Punish him for his transgressions," Allen immediately responded.

"There's not a single person here who wouldn't love to do that," Hedin said, finally looking up. "But it's not that simple. He's being protected by the Olympian and-."

"I don't give a shit about the Olympian!" Allen cut in.

They all had to keep from rolling their eyes at how obviously untrue that was, but Hedin managed to restrain himself and pressed forward.

"You should, given he defeated, nay, humiliated you at Freya-sama's party."

Allen bared his teeth.

"He got lucky."

"He was weakened and he still defeated you with ease," Hedin countered.

The Gulliver brothers laughed at that, further infuriating Allen, but he knew he couldn't dispute it without making himself look like an even greater fool.

"Also, as much as we all hate it, Bell Cranel is our lady's beloved. That means we would have to bring him to her unharmed which would only work if he agreed to it. If he decided to resist, even with all of us, it would likely end with injury coming to him, which in turn would displease our lady," Hedin explained.

"Then we take one of his familia and force him to come with us in exchange for them."

"Do you think that will bring him closer to Freya-sama? If we attack his familia, that will upset him. Normally I wouldn't care, indeed I would revel in putting the rabbit in his place, but that would in turn make him less open to our goddess, which would upset her. And that's if we forget that Achilles Caesar is still a part of this equation and while all of us together might be able to overcome him, even without Ottar, it would not be a simple matter."

Everything the white elf said made complete sense, but Allen wasn't in the mood for sense.

"Well I'm not just going to stick around here while that rodent goes around insulting our lady!" he roared before picking up his spear and making his way out.

A few moments later, the resident dark elf began to follow.

"You're joining him?" Hedin asked.

"Someone has to restrain him. Besides, if we keep our eyes on Cranel we may find opportunities for bringing him to Freya-sama," Hogni explained, before following after Allen.

That seemed to be enough for the Gulliver brothers, who grabbed their weapons and joined the former dark elf king in following after Allen.

"Well then I suppose I should follow after as well," Hedin said, putting down his book and getting up. "It would, afterall, please our lady if we were to present him to her. Besides," his knuckles bled white. "Being punished by Freya-sama wouldn't be so bad if it means showing that little rabbit where he really belongs."

* * *

Aiz gave herself one more look over, making sure everything was as it should be, before nodding, grabbing her sword, and exiting her room.

She made her ways through the dark halls as quietly as she could. She didn't want to wake up any of her familia as she knew they were worried about her.

She felt her heart sink a bit at that thought, but she only allowed it to bother her for a moment before she pushed it aside and pressed on.

She arrived at the lightless entrance and prepared to leave once again and make her way to the Dungeon. Had she not been so focused on her act of sneaking she would have remembered the fact that the entrance was never dark. In fact, the Twilight Manor was never this dark as a whole. There were always at least a few lights, especially in the front entrance where the lights were always on because of the wide variety of times members of the Loki familia returned and as a means of security.

Aiz was suddenly blinded as all the lights in the entrance suddenly awoke from their unusual slumber, revealing that she was not alone.

"Figured you'd attempt to sneak out again."

Aiz turned and found Finn, along with Riveria, Gareth, Tione, Tiona, Bete, and Lefiya before her and staring directly at her.

"Finn," she said in surprise.

"Aiz," Finn continued, his voice clearly tired, but not from lack of sleep. "I understand that what Achilles told you has hit something very personal within you, but this can't go on. You've been sneaking off to the Dungeon then sneaking back in after dark for almost an entire week. Not only is that not healthy, but we're all worried about you."

Lefiya and the amazon sisters nodded.

The guilt reappeared in Aiz's heart, but once more, she pushed it down.

"I thank you for your concern, but I'm fine," she said firmly.

"Don't lie to me, Aiz. Don't even try," Finn threw back, his eyes fierce, as if daring her to make that ludicrous statement again.

Aiz wanted to push back, but she knew better than that and so bit her lip.

"You are not alright," Riveria jumped in, afraid to leave the situation as it was. "You've retreated back into yourself since Achilles confirmed that your mother was still alive. You spend all your time in the Dungeon. You barely sleep. I suspect you barely eat, and you don't talk to us. This is the first time some of us have seen you in days."

Now the guilt was here to stay, no matter how hard Aiz tried to push it down.

"We all understand how you feel Aiz," Gareth said. "You may not think so, but we do."

"We're your friends, Aiz. We're your familia. You can come to us for help," Tione said.

"Yeah! Whether it's the One-Eyed Black Dragon or Loki perving on you in the bath, we'll be there for you!" Tiona affirmed.

Aiz's knuckles bled white and she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.

"The fact that you can say that proves you don't understand," she said lowly.

Everyone froze, the cold tone she used stunning them into silence.

"That thing isn't just some monster. It's destruction incarnate. It's pain, fear, cruelty, and everything bad in the world combined. I remember…" she almost choked on her next words. "I remember the day it came. The day it took my mother and...and killed my father." No one liked where this was going. "It wasn't just that it attacked us, it was like...like the whole world was on fire. It destroyed everything. Our home, along with everything green, burned. It's fire was so hot that rock melted. The air itself seemed to be on fire. And the smoke…" she did choke for a moment here as she tried desperately to stay in control of herself. "Was like some kind of poison. It didn't just make it hard to breathe, it felt like it was actively trying to steal the air from your lungs. It hurt to move. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to think. And during all this I watched as my parents went to fight it, and...and…" tears were in her eyes. "And then I was here."

Things were silent. The pain that flowed from Aiz crushing the Loki familia as the image of what she had experienced weighed down upon them.

"All the more reason," Finn finally said, moving towards her. "For you to lean on us."

"I can't…" Aiz shook her head. "I can't lose anymore people."

"Then we'll all get strong together," he replied resolutely. "To ensure we all come back together."

"Finn."

"Yeah. We'll all get super strong and kick that thing's butt!" Tiona declared, cognizant that she didn't really know anything about the Dragon, like Aiz said, but refusing to allow Aiz to feel down.

"We'll fight it together, Aiz-san," Lefiya stated, going up to her idol.

"We're a familia, doing anything else would simply not do," Gareth said.

"Guys," Aiz said, not sure what to say or think about what was transpiring.

"You heard them," Finn said. "You can turn to us for help. And that means no more sneaking out. In fact, today I'm forbidding you from going to the Dungeon and from any sort of training." She looked like she wanted to argue, but he wasn't done. "And you're going to spend today with your family. Play games, gossip, go shopping, I don't care, just spend time with us. Am I clear?"

Aiz was silent for a moment. She wanted to deny him, but not only was this an order, but after that display from her familia, she wasn't sure she could.

"I...understand."

"Good. But just in case," he held out his hand. "Sword."

She stared at him, then her sword before, slowly unhooking the blade and placing it in his hand.

"Thank you," he said with a smile.

The smile, in any other situation, would have made Aiz pout, but here it simply inspired a tired sigh.

She froze when she suddenly felt a hand land on her head.

Her eyes turned to find Bete staring down at her.

"We're not going to be killed by some stupid lizard," he said.

"Bete."

"Now go get some sleep, you idiot! We had to stay up all night for your stupid ass and we won't get to go back to sleep until you do," he demanded.

Stunned, she scanned her familia who gave her a variety of looks, including a bashful one from Lefiya, all of which informed her that this was, in fact, true.

"Okay. I'll um...go get changed."

She departed, leaving her familia to let out a breath of relief.

"Well, that went better than expected," Finn said.

"Speak for yourself, I lost an entire night of sleep to find out that I have to fight some crazy flying lizard at some point!" Bete shouted.

"Is that thing really so bad?" Tiona asked.

"No," Riveria said, causing everyone to turn to her. "It's much worse."

That didn't sit well with anyone, but Bete was in no mood for everyone to suddenly become depressed.

"We've dealt with tough shit before and we'll deal with this, so stop your moping!" he ordered. "Honestly, you're all being as dumb as she is, and that's saying something. Almost makes me feel bad that the Rabbit is smitten for her. Two freaking air-heads running around each other like morons!"

Those were the last words he spoke before departing the group and heading back to try and make up for the sleep he lost.

"Was that...a statement of approval...from Bete?" Tiona asked, her eyes practically sparkling.

"I think that's the closest we'll ever come to getting one," Tione answered, quite surprised herself.

Gareth laughed.

"Yet another piece of evidence towards the young Cranel's skill and drive. If he can win over even Bete than he can win over anyone."

Finn chuckled.

"It's quite the surprise."

Riveria smiled, at least until Tiona turned her attention to her.

"Which means we can focus more attention on you and the Olympian!"

The motherly elf suddenly found all eyes on her.

"_Oh for the love of…"_

* * *

Bell woke up as worn out as he had been when he fell asleep, and it was no mystery why, to him or his familia.

"_I hope I get to see her today."_

Ever since Achilles had told Aiz about her mother, the Sword Princess had been utterly absent from his life. This, in itself wasn't usual. If the Loki went on an expedition they could be gone for days, even weeks. However, the knowledge that she could see him, but didn't want to, and was growing more distant from him with each passing day due to her renewed obsession with the Dragon, hit him hard.

He sighed as he slowly got up, his body groaning in protest as all motivation was utterly lacking in his being.

"_Maybe some food will help me feel better,"_ he thought, though he already knew the answer to that thought.

He made his way downstairs and into the kitchen and found everyone was already there.

Achilles, having heard Bell coming, was the first to greet him.

"Morning, Bell."

That caused everyone else to turn towards him, all with the same worried look in their eyes that had been present the last few days.

Feeling guilty at having them all so concerned about him, he put on the best smile he could, even though he knew it wasn't terribly convincing, and returned the greeting.

"Morning, Dad. Morning everyone."

They all returned the greeting, knowing the smile was fake, but allowing it to pass, even as they hoped to find some way to pull Bell out of his current lowness.

Bell went over to Haruhime, who had prepared breakfast. She smiled more brightly at him, hoping it would have some effect on him. He smiled back, but it wasn't his usual smile and she felt herself wavering as she handed him a plate.

"Thank you," he said, before heading for the table.

"_Bell-sama,"_ she thought in worry.

Bell sat down and began to eat, feeling the eyes on him.

"_They're all worried about me,"_ he thought, guilt weighing on his heart even more heavily. "_I have to pull myself out of this. They shouldn't have to worry about me,"_ he thought, getting a little angry with himself. "_But how?"_ he wondered.

His mind began to ponder and soon enough came to a solution.

"_Going on a walk or heading to the Dungeon again might help. But after what I told them I'm not sure they'll allow me to go out alone again,"_ he thought, his eyes shooting towards Hestia.

Hestia, who had been watching her captain like the rest of her familia, instantly met Bell's eyes. Usually that would have been enough for him to immediately look away, but this time their gaze held for a few moments, just long enough for Hestia to understand what was going through Bell's mind before he looked away.

"_I see,"_ she thought.

Bell finished eating and got up, taking his dishes to the sink and washing them, still feeling the eyes on him.

"_I have to ask. I can't have them worrying about me anymore!"_

He opened his mouth to ask his request when Hestia suddenly spoke up.

"I feel like going out today!" she declared. "I don't have work today and it's been too long since I've gone for a stroll." Everyone, including Bell, turned to her with confused looks. She ignored this and instead focused solely on her captain. "So, won't you escort your goddess around town, Bell-kun?"

Everyone shifted back to Bell whose confusion had only grown at the request.

"W-What?"

"You wouldn't have your lovely goddess walking around town unguarded, would you, Bell-kun?" she asked.

"I-."

"You've walked around by yourself plenty of times before, Hestia-sama." Lili stated firmly.

"Nevermind that," Hestia brushed off, irritating Lili. "So, what do you say, Bell-kun, will you be my valiant protector today?"

Still monstrously confused, Bell wasn't sure what else to do, but nod.

"O-Of course, Hestia-sama."

"Wonderful! Well, no time like the present!" she declared, then got up from her seat, strode over him and wrapped her arm around his. "Let's go."

"Um...o-okay," Bell said, allowing himself to be dragged along.

"We'll be back soon!" Hestia called, still dragging Bell. "Just keep training or whatever until we get back."

With that, the two departed, leaving behind a thoroughly confused familia.

"What just happened?" Welf asked.

"I'm not sure," Mikoto said.

Haruhime and Ryuu were also confused; the only member of the Hestia familia who wasn't was Lili, and that was simply because she was too furious at the moment.

"Who does she think she is, snatching Bell-sama away like that for some date?! I should go and-!"

"Lili."

The prum stopped and turned to the voice, along with the rest of her familia.

"She's doing her job as a goddess," Achilles said calmly. "We all know that Bell's been under the weather, courtesy of suddenly finding a chasm between him and Aiz Wallenstein. More importantly, he knows that we're worried about him. I think we all know he'll feel guilty about that." Lili's anger evaporated as she and the others recognized that fact. "My guess is that Bell wanted to go out again but, knowing what happened last time he did that, he knew we wouldn't exactly be eager to allow him to be out and about alone. Hestia decided to give him the excuse, or as close to it as possible," he explained. "Now we just have to wait, pray, and see if she's able to pull him out of this."

There were a few nods as the Hestia familia came to terms with his words.

"Do you think she'll be able to do so?" Haruhime asked.

Achilles shrugged.

"She is his goddess so I think there's a good chance. Also, never underestimate a woman in love," he said.

The other three ladies vying for a certain white rabbit didn't seem too pleased by that final statement, namely a certain brunette supporter.

"Still, she didn't have to press herself up against him so forcefully."

* * *

Bell watched his goddess walk along with a smile on her face and not a care in the world.

"_Why did she ask me to accompany her? Did she really just want to go out," _he already knew the answer to that. "_No, this wasn't some whim. She wanted to get me alone so she could talk to me. But why then,"_ he continued to watch her all but skip along. "_Is she so happy."_

"Oh Bell-kun, look at that!" Hestia suddenly declared.

Before he could react, Bell suddenly felt his hand being grabbed and a moment later he was being dragged towards a stall.

"Oh aren't these so pretty?" she proclaimed, and it was only then that Bell recognized that it was a flower stall.

"T-They are, Hestia-sama," he conceded.

"Would the lovely goddess like a bouquet?" the stall owner asked with a smile.

"Hm, I'm not sure I want to carry a bouquet around all-day, beautiful though they are," Hestia replied as she continued to eye the stall. Her eyes landed on a pair of flowers, one a blue that matched perfectly to her eyes and the other, by some odd stroke of luck, did the same with Bell's eyes. "These two!" she all but shouted. "They're perfect!"

The seller, happy to see such an excited customer, immediately grabbed the two flowers and handed them to Hestia. Luckily, Bell had brought money with him or things would have turned awkward at this point.

"Now, this one's for me," she said before putting the red one in her hair. "And this one's for you," she explained before she reached up and placed the blue on in Bell's hair.

"Hestia-sama," Bell said, obviously embarrassed.

"Oh you look so cute, Bell-kun! Now onto the next stall!" she declared before once again grabbing his hand and dragging him on, leaving him no time to think.

The two went around the city, stopping and stalls, and entering any shop that caught Hestia's fancy for hours, and it was easily noon when Hestia decided that they should get something to eat.

"This is pretty good," the goddess stated, munching on a sandwich from a cafe they'd found before ending up at their current location, one of Orario's many small, hidden parks.

"It is," Bell agreed, his mind still playing catch-up from the last few hours.

The two ate silently, content to simply munch on their food and enjoy the quiet.

"Ah, that was good," she said with a smile.

"It was," he agreed.

Hestia turned to him, her eyes pointing directly at his and still smiling.

"I'm glad you could take a moment to simply enjoy things again."

The sudden shift in tone caught Bell off guard and he had no response to that, which served Hestia's purposes.

"The world keeps moving," she continued, turning her gaze towards the sky. "Whether or not we want it to, Bell-kun. There are times I wish things had just stopped back when it was just the two of us in our little home. It wasn't grand, and we weren't rich, but I will always treasure those days. I suppose that's part of the reason I wanted to take you out today," she said, turning back to him and smiling. "But there's something else to remember when it comes to how the world keeps turning and that's this. As long as it keeps turning it will keep providing us chances to gain what we want. That's why I'm sure you'll be able to get back to where you were with Aiz Wallenstein."

Now Bell felt like his head was going to spin off his neck.

"But...I thought that you…?"

"Loved you? Didn't like Wallenstein? Both are completely true, but that certainly doesn't mean I want to see you worried or upset, let alone in pain. That said, I know I can be a pain myself sometimes. I know that I'm a jealous goddess who often tries to capture your attention in annoying ways, but I do love you, Bell. That means I want to see you happy. But," she suddenly jumped to her feet and stood before him proudly, with her hands on her hips and chest pushed out. "I'm also not going to give up on you. Even if Aiz Wallenstein gets you in this life, I'll make sure to find you and love you for all the lives that follow, because that's how much I love you and will always love you. No one else has or ever will have my heart like you do, Bell. So, I won't give up and will give you all my love forever."

"Hestia...sama," tears began to prick at his eyes.

"Oh Bell-kun, still such a crybaby," she said tenderly, her hand reaching out and stroking his cheek.

The feeling of his goddess's hand on his cheeks soothed Bell some, but there was something he needed to say, so he gently took the hand off his cheek and interlocked his fingers with hers.

"The day you found me was one of the happiest in my life," he began, his eyes focused on their interlocked hands. "When you held out your hand and asked me to be a part of your familia… even now I can still feel the joy I felt then," he smiled. "I will never be able to put into words how grateful I am to you or how much you mean to me, but," he looked back up to his goddess. "I can promise you that you will always be my goddess."

The vow, the intensity of his gaze, the intertwined fingers, it all filled Hestia with a sense of euphoria she had never felt before. Not in all her years had she been this happy.

She leaned down and kissed his forehead.

"And I'll always be waiting for you, Bell," she promised.

The two smiled brightly at each other, both knowing that whatever was to come, they would always have each other.

"Well isn't this cozy."

Bell's eyes widened.

"_I know that voice."_

He jumped to his feet and pulled out his knife, placing Hestia behind him.

Above him, alongside numerous other members of the Freya familia was Allen Fromel, glaring down at the Rabbit Foot with an intensity that would have turned most people's blood to water.

"Allen-san," Bell all but growled, knowing full well this wasn't a pleasant social visit.

"Do not say my name so casually, rabbit," the catman demanded with a sneer.

Bell knew how dangerous the situation was, but he was also no fan of the level six above him. While he might have been open to Freya, mostly because he didn't understand her, that didn't mean he was exactly open to her familia. Indeed, Bell understood Allen almost too well, having seen him, and those like him, plenty of times, both before and after he'd come to Orario.

"What do you want?" he asked, his voice holding just as much force as the Freya officer's.

Allen did not like Bell's tone.

"_He should be bowing and grovelling before me, yet he bares his teeth. Someone so weak shouldn't have such stupid courage."_

"You have not answered our lady."

"_So that's what this is about,"_ Bell thought.

"I will," he replied. "When I feel it is right to."

That did not please any of the Freya officers, all of whom took a step closer as their grip on their weapons tightened.

"You dare keep our lady waiting?" Allen said, his teeth grinding as his body nearly burst with rage.

"Freya-sama put the time and place of our meeting in my hands, meaning she is willingly waiting for _my_ reply. The meeting is also for the express purpose of her earning _my_ trust, which, now that I think about it, makes this meeting counterproductive doesn't it?" Bell shot back.

The Freya officers, besides Allen, all backed up a step, knowing full well the rabbit had gotten them.

"_Well he's not an idiot, at least,"_ Hedin conceded internally.

"So tell me," Bell pushed on. "How do you think your goddess will feel when she hears that you ambushed me and my goddess to threaten us, putting our meeting and any trust I may gain in jeopardy?" Allen growled. "Do you think that will please her? I also noticed that Ottar-san is not here, reinforcing that this wasn't sanctioned by Freya-sama. So tell me, Allen Fromel, what precisely was the point of all this?"

Hestia, who had been watching all this unfold from behind Bell, was thoroughly surprised by this side of Bell. Oh sure, she knew he was cool and could be serious, but this kind of force and confidence was not a side of him she'd seen before.

"_He really is growing,"_ she recognized. "_And he's just getting cooler!"_ she thought, allowing herself a bit of a fangirl moment.

Meanwhile, Allen knew he was in a tight position. He was aggressive, but he wasn't brain-dead, he knew the situation he was putting himself in before he came looking for the rabbit, but to have it pointed out so bluntly, and by the rabbit himself, was nothing short of infuriating.

Perhaps it was for that reason that, to the surprise of all, including his own familia, Allen jumped down to the ground level, placing himself only a few paces away from Bell and Hestia.

"You proud of yourself, rabbit?" he asked, taking a step forward. "You think that because you've gotten this far so quickly that you're something special?" another step. "You think because you've gained our lady's affections that you're hot shit? Well let me tell you!" he pointed his spear directly at Bell's head, the blade being only a few inches from the young man. "You're nothing by a brat who got lucky!"

"Allen!" The catman turned. "That's enough," Hedin called, knowing just how close his fellow officer was to crossing a line that would see them all severely punished.

Having burned through some of his rage, Allen had calmed enough to know that the light elf spoke the truth and so, begrudging, pulled his spear back.

That was the plan at least, but that died the moment Bell grabbed the spear shaft.

"You're right," Bell said, as everyone tried to get over their surprise at the sudden turn of events. "I did get lucky. I got lucky when my goddess found me and asked me to be part of her familia. I got lucky when Aiz Wallenstein saved my life. I got lucky when I met each of my friends and earned their friendship. I've gotten lucky plenty of times, but there are two things you need to recognize. One: that my drive and my luck are two different things and I did not get as far as I have based simply on luck."

"And the second?" Allen asked, baring his teeth.

Bell smiled.

"The second is that, just because you aren't allowed to hurt me, doesn't mean I'm not allowed to hurt you."

Before Allen, or anyone else for that matter, could process those words, Bell pulled the spear in his hand towards him. Allen, caught off guard, both by the move and the strength of the rabbit, didn't have time to react before Bell's other hand pulled back and launched forward, striking Allen in the cheek and launching him into the nearby building.

Everyone stared in shock at the newly made hole in the wall Bell had made via the Freya officer.

"Never bother my goddess or me ever again," Bell ordered.

Allen pulled himself from the rubble of the wall with eyes screaming bloody murder. However, before he could launch himself at the rabbit, Hedin and Hogni appeared before him.

"Enough," the ex-light elf king said firmly. "Do anymore and Freya will punish us all severely."

Allen looked like he was willing to risk that, which in turn caused the light elf to lean in next to his ear.

"You can use this against the rabbit. Tell our lady that he attacked you unprovoked. Play this smart."

Allen thought on this for a moment, clearly torn between revenge now and in discrediting the rabbit in his lady's eyes later. However, after a few moments, and a few deep breaths, he realized the potential of the latter was far greater seeing as, without his lady's love, Bell Cranel would be wide open for attack.

"Alright," he agreed, though not without a flinch as pain shot through his jaw.

"_He was able to hurt me this badly? Him?!"_ his eyes shot back to Bell. "_You just signed your own death warrant, rabbit. I'll get my revenge one way or another."_

"We're leaving," Hedin said, giving one final look towards Bell before he, and the other Freya officers all disappeared.

The moment they were gone, Bell sighed.

"Bell-kun." He turned. "That was amazing. Dangerous and stupid too," Hestia added, still smiling. "But amazing!"

He smiled.

"Thank you, and I'm sorry. I let my anger get the better of me."

"Understandable, you were protecting your goddess after all."

"And I always will," he vowed.

"Bell-kun!" Hestia cried as she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

He laughed and returned the hug.

"Now, we should probably head home," he said. "We need to tell the others and," he held up his hand. "I think I broke my hand with that punch."

"My poor Bell-kun," Hestia said, looking over his hand. "Right, we'll head right home!" she said, before her eyes caught sight of something. "Oh, Bell-kun, you dropped this," she said, before leaning down and grabbing the blue flower she'd bought earlier and putting it back in his hair.

"_Wait, did I have that in my hair during all that?"_ Bell thought. A moment later, the realization that he probably had caused a blush to come to his cheeks as the image of everything that had transpired now had the addition of a blue flower resting contently in his hair.

* * *

Achilles sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Bell, I'd appreciate it if you stopped somehow attracting powerful members of a rival familia to you," he said wearily.

Bell blushed.

"It's not like I'm trying to get their attention," he said bashfully.

"I don't blame you, Bell-sama," Lili said, coming to his defense.

"You don't?" the young man asked, expecting her to be the angriest of them all.

"No. I blame you!" Lili screamed, pointing at Hestia.

"Me?!"

"Yes you! You just all of a sudden dragged Bell-sama out on a date without discussing it with any of us. The blame for this happening is solely on you!"

"Now wait just a minute here-!" Hestia responded, leading to a shouting match between the two women

"While it's true that this wasn't your fault," Ryuu cut in. "Your reaction was, to put it nicely, not the best."

Bell rubbed his neck before nodding.

"You're right but I… I don't know. I guess I was sick of being pushed around, especially by all of them. And they were putting Hestia-sama in danger, I couldn't let that stand," he said.

That instantly pulled said goddess out of her spat with Lili, and caused her to turn to her captain with adoring eyes.

"Bell-kun!" she cried as she wrapped herself around him.

"Get off of him!" Lili screamed, trying to pull the goddess off the object of their shared affection, who was, once again, blushing terribly.

"Still," Achilles stated, catching everyone's attention. "This does bring up an important fact. We've been avoiding the topic of Freya for too long and even if she's not getting impatient, her familia is. We need to have the meeting, and soon."

They knew he was right, but that didn't exactly make any of them happy about it.

"That said," Achilles pressed on, noting the solemn looks on their faces. "It's not going to happen today, and this incident actually brings up something that I've been wanting to discuss for a while." Seeing that he had their attention, he continued. "We've been doing plenty of physical training and team building exercises, so I think it's time we move onto psychological training."

Now, for most present, that didn't mean much, but for Bell it caused a wave of memories to fill his mind and a blush to soon appear on his cheeks.

Luckily, Achilles was the only one who noticed this and quickly signalled to his son.

"_Not that kind of training."_

Seeing the signal, Bell calmed down, his cheeks slowly gaining their normal hew.

"So, what's this training entail?" Ryuu inquired.

"Well, as Bell displayed, it's quite easy for your emotions to get the better of you in a fight. Fear is, of course, the first most think of, but it's also important to remember the potentially serious outcomes of anger and rage. A fit of rage can make you forget yourself and put you in a dire situation. You've all seen how my temper has caused me to act and how that's put me in quite a few bad situations." They nodded. "So this is as much a re-training for me as it is training for you. So, today I'm going to take each of you individually and throw taunts, teases, and jeers at you in the hopes of causing you to react. Your goal is to withstand my attacks and, if you're able to, throw a few back at me. Basically it's a game of who can cause who to crack under pressure." Everyone nodded in understanding. "However, before I do this, I want to make sure you're all okay with it. I'm going to be going for whatever I think will work against you. That means low blows. Personal attacks. Threats on loved ones. Everything's game. You can throw whatever you want back at me, but I need to know you're all okay and ready for this."

The Hestia familia shared a few looks, everyone checking with each other before turning back and nodding.

"We understand," Bell said.

"We can take it," Welf added.

"We won't get stronger if we back away from a challenge," Mikoto stated.

Each gave their consent and Achilles nodded.

"Alright. Good. But don't be afraid to call it quits, this is, after all, going to be the first time we do this and I'm not exactly comfortable making any of you cry...or crying in front of you if you've got some below the belt shot lined up for me."

Everyone smiled and a few laughed.

"Alright, go get your equipment. I might throw in some attacks during this to make it a bit more like an actual battle."

The members of the Hestia familia left to go get their equipment and returned a few minutes later, looking ready.

"Well, I guess I'll do ladies first, starting with Haruhime," Achilles said, turning to the renard. "That'll give me time to warm up and I can't imagine Haruhime saying a cruel word to anyone so my ego will get to last a little longer."

A few more laughs echoed through the halls as Haruhime stepped forward.

"I will do my best," she swore.

"Of course you will," the Olympian replied. "Let's head to the back. You all can prepare and share ideas while I'm training Haruhime."

"Will do," Bell said.

Achilles and Haruhime made their way outside and took their places before each other.

"You're sure you're okay with this Haruhime?" he double-checked, not much caring for the idea of hurting the sweet girl he viewed effectively as his daughter at this point.

"Yes, I'm sure," she said resolutely.

"Alright, but before we begin, I just wanted to talk to you about something that occurred a few days ago."

"Oh? What is it?" she asked.

"Well I couldn't help but notice that you and Bell had a little moment when he put that necklace on you."

Haruhime blushed as her hand came up and touched the very necklace.

"I-I don't know. It certainly felt… special," she said with a smile.

"Did anything else happen?" he inquired.

She shook her head.

"No. It was just that moment. Then everything with Aiz Wallenstein happened and we haven't had a moment since."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing," she said sadly.

Things were silent for a moment before Achilles, his eyes turning cold, spoke again.

"That's why you're losing."

Haruhime actually jumped at the sudden frigidness of his voice.

"W-What?"

"I said, that's why you're losing. To be more specific, it's why you're losing Bell to Aiz Wallenstein and, it appears after today, Hestia. Both of them have made moves towards Bell's hearts, and here you are, sitting on the sidelines even as you're provided opportunities to get closer to him."

"I-I…"

"You, you, what?" he demanded.

"I...didn't think it would be appropriate to…"

"You didn't think it was appropriate?!"

Haruhime jumped again and backed away from the Olympian.

"What's that old saying? 'All's fair in love and war'? He was right there, offering himself up to you. Practically saying, 'Take it. Take my heart. Take my love.' and you do nothing. Are you not in love with him?"

"I am!" she cried. "I am. I love him so much. More than anything! He saved me, even when I thought myself worthless. He risked so much for me, when he didn't have to. When it would have been wiser to leave me. How could I not love him?!"

"Then why do you let others get closer to him? Why do you wait for him to come to you?"

"I haven't!" she tried to defend herself.

"Oh? What have you done to gain his attention? To earn his love?"

"I kissed him!"

That stopped Achilles.

"You kissed him?"

Haruhime, realizing what she said, began to fidget.

"O-O-On the c-cheek," she said, pointing to her cheek.

A moment later she found herself lifted off the ground staring directly into the eyes of a very annoyed Achilles.

"On the cheek?! That means nothing. Children kiss their parents on the cheek and parents do likewise with their children. Some kiss cheeks as a sign of greeting. A kiss on the cheek! Are you an idiot?!"

"I-I-," tears began to prick at the corners of her eyes.

"You're never going to win him if you keep acting like a stupid blushing maiden! Is he not worth the effort? Are you even really in love with him, because it doesn't seem he's worth your effort."

"I do love him!" she cried, tears now running freely down her cheeks. "I love him so much my heart aches just by thinking about him. I want to be with him so much. I've never wanted anything so much. Not my freedom. Not life. Nothing as much as I want him because the thought of not being in his life feels like my heart's being ripped out!"

She suddenly felt herself being wrapped tightly in strong, warm arms.

"I'm sorry," the soft voice of Achilles said.

Realizing what had happened, Haruhime hugged back.

"I-I'm s-sorry," she said quietly, barely able to keep herself from hiccuping. "I-I should h-have been s-stronger."

"No, you were plenty strong. You fought back and I'm very proud of you, not only for that, but for all you've done to get closer to Bell."

"Y-You're proud of me?" she asked.

"Very much so."

"E-Even though I h-haven't gotten closer to B-Bell-sama?"

"You have gotten closer, that's undeniable," he said, pulling back to look her in the eyes. "I saw how he looked at you when he put the necklace on. There is room in his heart for you, of that I have no doubt."

Haruhime, her eyes red and wide, stared at him in shock.

"T-Then," her eyes gained an inkling of determination. "I'll fight harder for him."

Achilles allowed himself a smile.

"Good, because no one deserves him as much as you do, of that I'm also sure."

The two parted and Achilles escorted Haruhime back inside.

"How did it-," Bell greeted them, only to stop seeing the obviously tear stained cheeks and red eyes of Haruhime.

"It was a bit tough," Achilles answered, looking down at the still somewhat shaky Haruhime.

"I-It was productive," she added, even as she wiped her eyes. "And I'm eager to try again in the future."

The Hestia familia all shared looks, some of confusion, most of concern given the fact that, if Achilles could make one of them cry in the first go round, how well would the rest do? True, this was Haruhime, the sweetest of them, but that did little to comfort them. Still, the determination in her eyes was something to see and gave them a little courage.

"Well, if you're all still up for it, Lili, you're up next," Achilles called, hoping that the prum would put up more fight given he already felt like shit for making Haruhime cry.

"Right," Lili said, giving Haruhime one last look.

The renard, catching her gaze, was able to manage a smile and a nod of conviction. Receiving this, Lili felt the conviction within her grow and she followed Achilles outside.

The two took their places, like Achilles had done with Haruhime.

"You ready?" he asked.

"Yes," Lili replied firmly.

"Good, though I suspect you'll be a tough one to crack," he conceded. "Haruhime faced many hardships, but she always maintained this innocence that left her vulnerable. You are different. You have also faced some serious hardships and grew from the experiences."

"Are you trying to get under Lili's skin?" Lili asked, keeping her crossbow always pointed towards the ex-captain.

"Not at all, just giving an honest compliment. I feel a bit guilty at making Haruhime cry and I suppose I have to ease myself back into things."

"Lili can take care of herself."

"True, you have shown quite the capacity for taking care of yourself," he said, his voice slowly losing its gentle edge. "Stealing. Lying. Double-crossing. Leaving others for dead, including Bell," his eyes turned a noticeable hostile tint. "You've managed to keep yourself alive at others expense, so, well done I suppose."

A whistling sound passed through the air and a second later Achilles batted away a crossbow bolt.

"Lili knows she's done bad things in her past. Things she isn't proud of, but she accepts them because it all allowed her to be with Bell-sama."

"Be with him?" Achilles inquired. "And how precisely are you, 'with' him? As far as I can tell you just carry his luggage."

"Says the man who fell in love with someone who thinks of him as a toy."

Achilles wasn't permitted an immediate reaction as a series of bolts launched at him. One towards his eye, another his heart, and the last his crotch.

"Oh ho, attacking the personals, and in more ways than one," he commended. "And yet, there's a few problems with your little attack. One, I've realized the errors of my ways, which, admittedly, you seem to have well. Two: If I wanted to, I could walk straight to the Tower of Babel, declare my love for Freya and immediately be embraced by her, which is important because, three: unlike me, you will never be with Bell."

A series of bolts shot at him from numerous angles as Lili went on the attack. Every once in a while she would use one of her hidden items on him, but all was ineffective as he was simply too strong and battered them all away.

"Why would he go for you after all, especially when he had such better options? Aiz Wallenstein. The Sword Princess herself. Beautiful. Powerful. A bit of a ditz, but that makes her honest. Haruhime. Kind. Gentle. Patient. Not jealous or easily led into anger. Even Hestia's a better option." That got him another bolt aimed towards the crotch. "Jealous and a bit overzealous though she may be, she gave him a home, and has quite the figure as well. And what do you have, hm? You're short-tempered." Bolt at the head. "Jealous." Toward the stomach. "You're a liar." Item. "You left him for dead." Two bolts toward his knees. "And, sorry short stuff, but even physically you're lacking." The third shot to his personals was completely expected. "So tell me, Liliruca Arde, what makes you think that you have any chance?" he asked, turning his eyes towards the now thoroughly exhausted Lili hunched over a few paces away.

"You think…" she began as she caught her breath. "That any of that is going to stop me?" she asked. "That I don't know I'm tainted and not good enough for Bell-sama? I've known that since long before you returned to Orario," she stated firmly. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop loving him. Even if I never earn his love, I'll always be by his side. Helping him. Smiling with him, and giving him all my love. And no one, not you, not Aiz Wallenstein, not Hestia-sama, and most importantly, not me and my guilt, is going to stop me from being by his side and giving him everything I can."

Achilles smiled and clapped.

"Well said," he stated. "No one should be able to convince you to not go for your goal, especially when it involves love. You truly are worthy of respect, Liliruca Arde, and I'm glad you've become part of Bell's life."

"Lili-," she didn't know how to respond to that. "Lili doesn't know what to say."

"No need to say anything, now come on. You've passed for today and I'm going to have to think a bit before I try to get under your skin again."

Not knowing what else to do, Lili followed him back inside, where they found the others waiting with some evident concern for her return.

Upon Lili's return, and seeing no evidence of tears they relaxed somewhat.

"She's a tough cookie," Achilles noted. "I'll have to better prepare if I'm going to go up against her again."

"Lili can take whatever you have to throw at her," the prum said confidently.

"Good, then maybe you can share your strategies with the others while Mikoto-san and I go have a little chat."

Encouraged though she was by Lili's confident return, Mikoto couldn't help but be nervous about her upcoming moment with the former captain. Even so, she followed after him and prepared herself as best she could for what was to come.

"So," Achilles began. "I'm not quite sure how to come at you."

"What do you mean, Achilles-dono?" Mikoto asked.

"Well, for Haruhime and Lili it was easy, just attack them based around Bell, but you appear to be the only girl in this manor that isn't smitten for my son."

Mikoto blushed lightly.

"Bell-dono is a very nice young man and an inspiring leader, however I never thought of him in...that way," she admitted.

"Oh, no reason to be embarrassed, people like who they like. At least it doesn't appear that you've fallen for some crazy goddess," he said with a laugh.

Mikoto smiled.

"No I have not, but I have made some mistakes as well, including with Bell-dono, which I will do my best to rectify."

"I am well aware of what you're talking about, Mikoto, and I'm also aware that you have more than made up for your past mistake. A mistake, I'll remind you, that was done in order to help another member of your previous familia."

"Even so," she said, a tad solemnly. "I will continue to do my best."

"Good. Not only because that shows real integrity and courage, but because it means I can't attack you effectively on that front. You know you made a mistake and you're already working on correcting it, so bravo."

"Thank you, Achilles-dono."

"Of course. However that means you're going to have to start telling me about you and Takemikazuchi."

All gratitude and relief disappeared in an instant in Mikoto's mind and was instantly replaced by deep, morbid embarrassment.

"I-I'm not sure I know what you mean, Achilles-dono," she tried to deflect.

"Oh come now, you may be more subtle about it than Bell is with Aiz, but that's like saying a slap to the face is subtle because it's less garring than a warhammer to the cranium."

Her blush intensified.

"Well. I-I care very much for Takemikazuchi-sama," she said, still trying to not outright admit it.

"Hm," Achilles replied, as if contemplating something. "You know he's a bit of a slut right?"

Mikoto froze.

"P-Pardon?"

"Well, to be fair, only Hestia, Artemis, and Athena remain virgins if I remember correctly, but from what I can tell, Takemikazuchi isn't exactly unfamiliar with the fairer sex."

"He's not like that," she stated, a dangerous edge beginning to form in her voice.

"Really? I mean, you would probably know better, but then again you are smitten for him so you might be a bit blind of this matter. I mean, I have seen him a few times chatting up some ladies. Ladies who," he gave her a pitying look. "Didn't exactly look like they were asking for recipes or for fashion advice."

"Stop it," she said, her voice barely more than a growl.

"But, if you want an experienced man, I can respect that. I'm sure he knows exactly what words to say and what," he cleared his throat. "Actions to take in order to please you."

"Shut up!" Mikoto screamed before launching at him.

Achilles, expecting this, quickly blocked before knocking her sword away and, just as she realized her mistake, backhanded her hard enough to send her flying a good twenty feet before landing far harder than she would have liked.

Getting up, she saw Achilles waiting patiently for her to retake her position.

"Temper temper, Mikoto-san. I can't imagine Takemikazuchi likes short-tempered girls," his mocking voice echoed.

Knowing what was going on now, Mikoto took a deep breath to calm and steady herself. That said, she was still angry and the additional comments weren't helping if her tightened grip was any indication.

"_Good, she's realized her mistake, but she's still vulnerable."_

"Well, at least you're not Chigusa-san. A small, foolish girl with a child's figure silently pining after a block-head."

Mikoto's eyes widened and her anger flared at the sudden switch in targets.

"Chigusa-san is a good, hard-working girl, don't you dare mock her feelings," she demanded.

"How can I not? She's right next to him and has known that muscle brain her whole life but refuses to do a damn thing about it. What's she waiting for? For him to realize her feelings and sweep her off her feet? Even if he wasn't so damn oblivious I doubt it would end up like that. He'd probably put her down gently, saying something about duty or honor then, in a couple years find himself a real woman to share his bed with."

He didn't even need to turn his head to block the next attack that came from the enraged easterling.

"How dare you!"

"If you want me to stop trash talking everyone you care about, why don't you shut me up?" he challenged.

Now properly goaded, Mikoto lashed out, striking out again and again, only for Achilles to block every strike. Seeing that her actions weren't working, she jumped back and threw a pair of knives at him.

He smiled as he grabbed them from the air.

"_Well, seems she took my suggestion to heart, but I think it's time I put an end to this."_

He stuck his sword in the ground as Mikoto made another charge at him. When she launched a thrust to his head, he dodged, grabbed her arm and, while she reeled back in shock, he punched in the face, not hard enough to send her flying, but hard enough to cause her to release her sword. Once she'd done that, he took it and looked her in the eye.

"You dropped your sword," he said before unceremoniously hitting her forehead with the buttcap causing her to fall onto her back.

As she slowly got up, her head aching and her body exhausted, she found her own blade pointed at her face.

"Don't let anyone use your friends and loved ones against you," Achilles said, his voice and eyes now sympathetic. He flipped the blade around so that the handle was pointed towards her. "Even if it hurts to hear someone degrade them."

Mikoto looked up at the ex-captain as she slowly recognized that she had failed the lesson.

"Yes, Achilles-dono," she said, her voice low in frustration and solemn realization.

She grabbed the hilt, and Achilles pulled her up.

"Mikoto," he said gently. "This is nothing to be ashamed of. Wanting to protect your friends and the one who's earned your heart is admirable."

"There was nothing admirable about my actions here," she said, not able to meet his eyes.

His hand lifted her head so she had to look him in the eyes.

"Yes there is. Loyalty for one. Protecting the honor of those beside you, that is quite admirable. So please, don't turn against yourself for this. Use this experience to grow. To become wiser and stronger. To help you with that, let me remind you of one key fact. You know all those I mentioned quite well, yes?"

She nodded.

"Does what I said sound anything like them? Does it sound truthful or in any way honest?"

She shook her head.

"No, it was a perversion of the truth."

"Then there you have it. If what I said was a lie, then it is meaningless. Me lying about your friends and god doesn't reflect badly on them, only on myself for being such a damn fool or malevolent jackass. So, remember that, Mikoto. Next time any enemy lies or spits venom, realize they are just fools too stupid or ignorant to know better."

Finally, the sad look in her eyes departed and she smiled.

"I will do that, Achilles-dono."

"Good," he said, returning her smile. "Now, let's get something cold on that forehead of yours before it starts to swell."

"So how'd it go?" Bell asked upon their return.

Mikoto blushed.

"I lost my temper," she confessed.

"Really? That's not like you, Mikoto-sama," Haruhime said.

"He… um… hit a nerve."

"What, did he go after your crush on Takemi-...oh," Hestia realized and stopped herself.

Mikoto's face was now burning as everyone knew effectively what happened, most giving the young man a sympathetic look.

"Cheap shots are definitely a part of this training," Achilles stated readily. "But now it's time for our final lovely lady. Let's see what you can handle, Gale Wind."

Ryuu nodded and followed Achilles out, leaving the others to talk about strategy and, in the case of Mikoto, get over her embarrassment and soothe her forehead.

"So," Achilles began. "How have things been since you've become a member of Hestia familia? I imagine they're a bit more hectic than being a waitress. Then again, any place run by Mia is sure to be lively."

"Your attempts at humor will not work here, Achilles-san. I am well aware that anything you say at this moment is not idle chat or small talk," Ryuu answered seriously.

Achilles smiled and nodded.

"You're right. The moment we're out here I'm trying to get under your skin. Your experience is paying off. I was able to get Haruhime and Mikoto to relax and relatively defenseless with some pleasant talk. Lili I just jumped right in, and with you I'll give you the same courtesy."

"Do your worst, lover of Freya."

His smile actually grew.

"Lili attacked that sore spot too. Mine is pretty obvious, the only thing that would be worse would be talking about my familia and the Dragon which, you all appear to have the decency to not go after."

"Would you like me to?" the elf asked, her voice firm and threatening.

"That's your prerogative, but you know what I won't use, in relation to you? Bell." Ryuu's eyes narrowed and her grip on her weapon tightened, but Achilles pretended not to notice. "One would expect I would given that you obviously have feelings for him." Ryuu attacked, striking for his head, which he nonchalantly batted away. "I mean, I already used Bell as a means of attacking Haruhime and Lili, but with you I won't bother." Another strike, this time towards his arm, then when that was blocked, another towards his side with the same result. " After all," he continued unabated. "You're so distant from his heart it's almost a waste of breath."

As much as Ryuu hated it, that one hurt. As much as she didn't believe she was worthy of Bell's love and desired him to end up with Syr, that did not mean that she could deny her feelings or that having them thrown in her face was easy on her heart.

"Let's see," Achilles pressed on, aware of the pain he had inflicted. "Aiz. Haruhime. Hestia. Lili. I think Eina as well," he listed, each name weighing on Ryuu more and more. "Aisha seemed pretty smitten." That one hit a nerve and she struck out furiously at him.

The force of her attack was enough to get him to pause in his mockery, but was of little effect as he was simply too strong and too fast for her, not to mention experienced enough to know the kinds of tricks she would use to try and level the playing field. Counters. Feints. Brutal assaults. Nothing worked. He simply took her attacks, not even bothering to counter, as if she was beneath him. At least that's what his eyes suggested at the moment.

"By the gods," he restarted, seeing her beginning to crack "I think Tiona would have more of a chance than you. At least she's not a liar and a murderer."

Ryuu was not a little girl. She had seen and done terrible things in her life, as Achilles himself pointed out. She was a hardened adventurer but there was only so much she could take, especially when it came to Bell. He had this tendency to bring out a kinder, gentler side of her that made her feel warm, cared for, and safe enough to let her guard down. However, without him here now and having her feelings thrown at her in vicious mockery, she felt defenseless. Naked against this monster of power and poisoned words. As such, even she could not prevent the tears that began to leak from the corners of her eyes.

"I know," she replied with a shaky voice. "Where I stand with Bell-san. I will not try to push it or gain more than his friendship, but that doesn't mean I can simply let go of my feelings."

Achilles's eyes turned hostile and, before she could react, Achilles cast her weapon aside, leaving her side open. He then punched her in the stomach hard enough to cause her to bend over as her breath was ripped from her then proceeded to grab her face and chuck her forty feet away as if he was throwing away trash.

"You will simply surrender? Before even trying? I thought you had a spine. Is my son not worth your time?"

"How dare you say something like that," Ryuu growled and she slowly got up. "You who regret falling in love with the one you did."

"So you regret falling in love with Bell?" the Olympian asked, enraged. "You regret falling in love with a kind, gentle, courageous soul? So much so that you dare to compare him to a manipulative goddess?"

"I do not regret it!" she denied. "But I know I am not worthy of him."

"I believe he's the one to decide that."

"Why do you care?!" she demanded. "Are you suggesting you would be happy if he fell in love with me? If he chose me?"

"My concern is Bell's happiness. Whoever brings him the most is the one that earns my vote of approval, yet you do not even attempt to bring him happiness. To love him. You do no even try and see what he thinks or how he feels. To earn what could be."

"Because I know it is pointless."

Achilles looked down on her with eyes full of disgust.

"And now I see why your familia died."

That was a step too far.

"You bastard!"

She came at him with everything. Strike after strike, blow after blow rained down from the elven warrior as she tried to make him pay for his words.

"You are the last person who may ever say that!" she roared. "You failed your familia as well. They're all dead yet here you stand!"

She prepared to strike him again, when his hand struck out, faster than she could see, and grabbed her throat, pulling her towards him so their faces were mere inches apart.

"I tried," he growled. "With my guts hanging out and with the very air smelling like death, I tried. I failed, yes, but at least, unlike you, I'm willing to try."

"I avenged them," she threw back, though she could barely speak. "You did not."

"You surrendered yourself to death. I tried to live. To understand. To grow. To move forward. I did not simply roll over and wait for death's embrace after my failure. If that waitress girl had not found you and given you purpose again you would not be here right now, the same is not true for me. Even at my lowest I always had purpose. A goal."

"Is being his friend and comrade not goal enough? Is wishing to help my new familia grow and become stronger not a great enough aspiration?"

"If those were what you truly wanted, then they would be. But they aren't, are they? Those aren't the goals you really aspire towards. They aren't what you truly desire."

"What do you want from me?" she demanded.

"I want you to try. You may fail, that's possible, but I want you to try, Ryuu Lion. Not because I say so, not because it might make my son happy, but for two simple reasons," he said, holding up two fingers. "One: it may very well set your soul free of the pain you carry, and two: because if your familia is as worthy as your rage indicates, then they wouldn't want you hurting and alone like this."

The tears returned to Ryuu's eyes and now she did not have the strength to fight them.

"They were...they were so good," she could barely speak. "They were my f-family and I… I… I miss them so much!"

"I miss mine too," Achilles replied softly, gently bringing her back down. "But neither or us can let the pain of losing them stop us from moving forward," he gently brought her face up to look her in the eyes. "Had I been stuck in my pain, I would never have met all of you and earned the right to be Bell's father, and had you been stuck in your pain you would never have been given a second chance at life and finding happiness."

"Do you really think… I can?" she asked, still trying to catch her breath.

"If you're willing to try, yes."

Ryuu did not respond and for a time, everything was silent between them.

"Then," she finally broke the silence. "I will try," she said, giving him a small smile.

He smiled back.

"That's all I ask. You're a good person Ryuu, I do believe that, and I'd like to see you live a happy life. Speaking up which, I do believe I've once again gone a bit too far and so apologize," he said with some mortification at making yet another person cry.

"No, I shouldn't have reacted as I did. I understood this was a training exercise yet still fell into a rage, so it is I who should apologize," she replied, bowing.

"Well then, let's just both agree to be nice to each other for the next few days and do our best in the future."

"Agreed," Ryuu said with a smile.

The two returned, the ex-waitress having calmed herself and wiped away her tears, though the red eyes were an instant give away for the others, which proved extremely disheartening as they all knew how tough the elf was.

"Alright, the ladies are done," Achilles said, hoping to press on before anyone asked any questions about the elf and her puffy eyes. "That means it's the gentlemen's turn. Welf, come on, let's see if your heart and mind are as strong as your steel."

Welf, giving one last look to Ryuu and the others, got up and departed with Achilles.

"A thousand valis he comes back in tears," Lili bet once they were gone.

"You really did a number on everyone didn't you?" Welf stated, an easy smile on his face.

"That sort of was the intention," Achilles replied, smiling as well. "Though, to be fair, they did get a few shots off themselves and I think at least two of them tried to actually kill me."

"Guess that means you're pretty good at hitting nerves," Welf said, still relaxed.

"It would appear so. Speaking of which, you appear quite calm at the moment. Not worried I'm going to hit a little too close to home on something?" the elder man asked.

"It's all to get us better prepared for what's to come right? Besides, the only thing that really gets me mad is when someone attacks my friends, but you can bet that just makes me more determined."

"I see. I approve of your confidence," Achilles complimented. "In that case you won't mind me asking about your family."

"Ask away," Welf said nonchalantly.

"Not bothered being related to a bunch of war-profiteers? People who made weapons knowing they'd be used to burn down homes in bouts of bloody conquest?"

"It did bother me, still does in a way. It's why I gave up making magic weapons, at least in part. That and the fact that you can't really grow with a magic weapon, and depending on something that breaks is hardly a good thing."

"But you make them now? What changed? The price people willing to pay get too high to ignore?"

Welf laughed.

"You know why. I'm not going to let my pride put my friends, no, my real family, in danger."

Achilles nodded.

"A good reason. I suppose that method of attack won't work on you. Then how about we switch it up?"

"Sounds good," the smith replied, still smiling and calm, acting as if this whole thing was some kind of comedic skit.

"Alright then, answer me this, if you please. Do you really think you and Hephaestus are going to be some happy couple with a bunch of red-headed cycloptic babies?"

This finally got a reaction, but not the one Achilles was expected. Instead of pain or anger, like Achilles had previously received, the only indication that Welf was bothered at all was his cheeks turning a nice shade of red before he brightly smiled.

"I think I've got as good of a chance as you do in having a bunch of green-haired half elf babies with the Nine Hells."

Achilles froze.

Silence. Nothing but silence between them as Achilles simply stared at the unwavering smile of the man before him.

He opened his mouth. Then closed it. Then opened it again. Still nothing. Finally, he managed a few words.

"Riveria actually…?"

"Yep."

"And you all…?"

"We do."

Achilles thought for a moment.

"And...Loki familia…?"

"They do too."

Things feel silent again as Achilles processed this information.

"Shit."

Welf laughed.

"Looks like I won this round."

"Can't exactly deny that," Achilles said, a small dash of red now present on his cheeks. "I'm now thoroughly distracted and open for attack. You not only deflected all means of offense I threw at you, but you switched it back on me, and quite easily. I'd congratulate you but-."

"Your mind's in other places," Welf finished for him.

"You could say that."

"Want to talk about it?"

"No, not really," the Olympian answered.

"Alright then. I'll head back inside and send Bell out. Though, I will say, I think you guys would be good together."

Achilles groaned, causing Welf to laugh again before he turned back towards the manor.

"Welf." The smith stopped and turned. "I think you and Hephaestus would make a good couple as well," the ex-captain stated.

Welf's blush returned, but so did his bright smile.

"Thanks."

Welf departed leaving Achilles to sigh and stare up at the sky.

"_Well, now I've got to figure out what to do about that,"_ he thought. He shook his head. "_But not right now, I've got other things to think about."_

"Dad?"

"_Speaking of which."_

Achilles turned, and smiled upon seeing Bell.

"Hello, Bell," he greeted. "You ready?"

"I think so. Seeing Welf coming back smiling certainly made me feel better."

Achilles laughed.

"Well, don't think that just because he pulled a fast one on me that you'll be able to do the same."

"I'll do my best."

"I know you will," his father replied. "But, before we get to it, I did want to apologize about Aiz."

"Why would you need to apologize?" Bell asked, confused.

"Because I didn't need to tell Aiz about her mother, at least not yet. In fact, I was actually seriously considering waiting on telling her, Riveria even asked me to do just that. And I was very tempted to leave it be, but it just didn't feel right to keep it from her. So, that's why I'm apologizing."

Bell smiled softly at his father.

"No, you were absolutely right to tell her. She had the right to know, and hiding it from her, even if there was a good reason, would have been cruel and may have actually backfired. So, no, you did the right thing, Dad. You have no need to apologize."

Achilles smiled and went up to Bell and hugged him.

"Thank you, Bell. I'm glad that you're not mad at me. I'm also glad that you seem to be in a better mood now. Even with Allen's little appearance and breaking your hand on his face you seem to have gotten back into good spirits."

"Hestia-sama helped me. She talked with me for a little while and reminded me that, as long as we're all still here there will be more opportunities."

"Well, she is a goddess after all. I'm sure in her many years she's picked up many good tidbits of wisdom."

"Yes, and our talk also helped me remember how lucky and happy I am that she found me and made me a part of her familia. There's no other god or goddess I'd rather call mine."

"Not even Zeus?" the Olympian asked.

Bell shook his head.

"Not even Freya?"

"Dad," Bell gave him a look.

"Alright, alright, just checking. Well, I'm glad everything worked out on that front, but," Achilles lost his cheerfulness as a more serious expression grew on his face. "There is something else about Aiz I want to talk to you about."

Noting the change, Bell also lost his smile.

"What is it?"

"I'm concerned." Achilles stated. "Aiz was showing such tremendous progress, enough progress that I was even beginning to set aside my doubts about her and really think you two had a chance. And then that progress evaporated. Maybe not completely," Achilles quickly added, seeing Bell ready to jump in. "But enough that a question formed in my head."

"What question?" Bell asked nervously.

"Bell," his father replied, his voice pained and clearly wishing he did not feel as he did. "You love that girl. I understand that and I understand why. At her best she is exceptional. Beautiful in many different ways. She's kind. Determined. Ditzy, but that has its own charm," he threw in, hoping to ease what came next. "She would make you very happy, I'm sure. But I need you to answer this question, and please be honest."

Bell could only nod.

"Do you believe that your love is enough to break Aiz Wallenstein out of her hatred of the One-Eyed Black Dragon? Or, failing that, can you tell me, at the very least, that should you two find each other, that she will love you more than she hates the Dragon?"

Bell stared at his father, silent as a grave. That was answer enough.

"I feared not," he sighed. "Bell, the fact that you can't answer that makes me very concerned. No, not concerned. Afraid. Afraid of what a future between you and Aiz could bring about. What it would mean for you. You love her, so fiercely. So terribly. It's carved into your soul. She means so much to you and I'm afraid she'll use that against you. Not intentionally," he added quickly. "She's not so cruel or malevolent as that. Indeed, she might not even know she's using you. But, I'm afraid. Afraid for you in a future where Aiz cannot let go of her hate."

"W-What are you saying, Dad?" Bell asked, his voice shaking as a sense of dread washed over him.

"I'm saying Bell that, if I believe that Aiz, intentionally or otherwise, looks like she's going to drag you into a fight with the One-Eyed Black Dragon, a fight that can only end in your death, then I will prevent that."

"H-H-," Bell couldn't say it, he knew what his father meant. He swallowed and took as large a breath as his thundering heart would allow. "How?"

Achilles stared right into his son's eyes when he answered.

"By killing her."

The world froze.

"Y-," Bell couldn't speak. His mind and heart were in chaos. His whole body felt cold. So cold that it was a miracle he didn't begin to shiver. "You don't mean that. Y-You can't… you can't mean that."

"I do Bell. As much as I hate to say it, I do. And understand that this is not a part of your training. If Aiz puts you at risk of facing down the Dragon, I will remove that threat, by any means necessary."

"No, you're lying!" Bell screamed. "I know you're lying. I remember what you told us the day you told Aiz about her mother. You said you were honor bound to help her to repay your debt to Aria Waldstein. You vowed to aid her. You can't hurt her! You can't! Your honor wouldn't allow it!"

"It isn't very honorable to threaten your friends either," Achilles pointed out. "Or use young women's feelings against them for a 'training exercise' but I did both of those. Besides Bell, if you think my vow to repay Aria Waldstein or that my honor matters more to me than your life, you should quickly reconsider."

Understanding that Achilles spoke the truth and was dead set on this path, Bell's head fell.

"You will not touch her," he growled lowly, barely loud enough for Achilles to hear.

"I will do what I must," he stated resolutely as he got in position for what he knew was coming. "Even if it earns your hatred."

"_Heaven forgive me,"_ Achilles thought as his heart wailed in agony at the torment he was putting it through.

"Earn my hatred?" Bell asked, now a bit louder. However, something was off. His voice seemed...different. Lower. Colder. Crueller.

"You already have," he turned his eyes to his father.

Achilles's eyes widened.

"_What are those eyes?"_

"YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HER!"

The cry shook the heavens, but Achilles had no time to react to the roar as, before he even realized it, Bell was in front of him

"_How did he-?!"_

Bell slashed at him. Achilles barely had time to block the first attack and nearly faltered at the force of it.

"_He's stronger. And faster. What the hell is going on?!"_ Achilles asked himself as he stared into Bell's eyes.

"You will not touch her," Bell growled, pressing harder against Dragon's Bane.

Achilles groaned as he actually found himself being pushed back.

"_Where did this strength come from?"_

Deciding he needed to go on the offensive, Achilles firmly planted himself and pushed back against Bell. He successfully managed to push his son off, but the relief lasted only a moment as the boy immediately rushed him again and lashed out with even greater fury.

"_He's attacking without care or control. There's no strategy or planning in any of his strikes. He's just coming at me with fury alone. Like an animal. No. Not an animal. Like a monster,"_ he realized. "_And like a monster, his only goal,"_ his heart clenched painfully. "_Is to kill me."_

That terrible thought distracted him just long enough for Bell to get an opening and kick him in the face.

As the former captain reeled, the enraged younger captain struck, lashing out across Achilles's back, leaving a nice, long cut along it.

"Agh!" Achilles cried.

He knew he couldn't take this easy anymore, as much as he loved his son, something was wrong and he needed to defeat him quickly in order to figure out what it was.

"Lightning Steps!"

The Olympian suddenly disappeared from Bell's view only to find himself suddenly thrown against the ground hard enough to cause a crater.

Bell groaned in pain, but had little time to regather himself, as he immediately found himself lifted into the air by his fellow captain's foot, only to then be thrown across the field at speeds that would make most heads spin.

"_I just need to get him to burn through his energy. No need to really hurt him," _Achilles noted, waiting for his son's inevitable response.

He did not have to wait long as, soon enough, a terrible cry went up and Bell was once more coming straight for him. However, now he did not have the speed advantage and with him in a state of rage that didn't allow him to think or strategize, he soon found himself on the defensive as Achilles appeared and reappeared all around him, battering away at him in a series of hit-and-run attacks. Naturally this served to infuriate Bell further, but there was little he could do. He couldn't match the Olympian's speed and he wasn't thinking clearly enough to even try to come up with a plan. As such, he was soon battered and bruised enough that Achilles decided to end things.

Giving one final strike that sent his son flying, Achilles prepared a spell.

"Come to me, oh foul chains from the deepest pits…" he chanted.

However, that all stopped when he heard a familiar, yet horribly unfamiliar sound ring through the air.

The bells of Argonaut began to ring, their song piercing the air, but they were different now. All times before they echoed with hope, announcing the arrival of a hero to overcome some great challenge and save the day. Now things were different. Now the bells sang not of hope, but despair. Rage. Hatred. Now they boomed an ominous song, promising not protection and a savior, but pain and a destroyer.

"_That's not good."_

Bell sat up, his blood-red eyes boring into the electric blue of the man before him as he stood up and pointing his hand at him.

"_That's really not goo_d!"

Switching spells, Achilles quickly began to chant.

"I summon the rage of all the gods on high to me so that I may lay low my foes. May their skies darken and fill them with dread. May they know their end has come."

He finished just in time as Bell roared the magic word.

"**FIREBOLT!**"

"Storm of the Divine!"

* * *

Aiz had taken Finn's suggestion to heart. Or, more accurately, Tiona had, and dragged her along.

The five members of Loki familia: Aiz, Tiona, Tione, Lefiya, and Riveria, all made their way through the streets of Orario with no particular destination in mind, simply window shopping and enjoying some time together.

"Oh look!" Tiona cried excitedly.

"That is the third weapon shop you've tried to drag us to," her sister complained.

"What's wrong with that?"

Riveria watched the two sisters bicker with a smile before turning her attention to the reason they were currently out and about.

"Are you alright, Aiz?"

Aiz turned to her and, after a moment, nodded.

"Yes."

The motherly elf had hoped for more, but it was a start.

"Is there any place you'd like to go?"

"I don't really shop," the Sword Princess replied. "Except for things like weapons, armor, and potions, that is."

"Well this is a good opportunity to try it. The sun is out. The air is fresh. And you're with your friends."

Aiz looked around and watched the others. Tiona and Tione were still fighting, with Lefiya now trying to peacefully resolve the argument. Soon enough, a small smile grew on her lips.

"Yes. This is nice."

Riveria's smile grew as relief filled her.

"_She's not lost, she just needed a reminder."_

A sudden growling noise snapped her back to reality and her eyes focused on the young woman before her who was now blushing.

"I'm sorry," Aiz said.

"Did you forget to eat breakfast again?" Riveria asked with a chuckle.

"I didn't get the chance. Tiona invited me to go shopping the moment I came downstairs and I didn't have the heart to say no."

"Then let's get you something to eat, shall we?"

The two went to a nearby cafe and walked up to the counter.

"Well, it must be my lucky day. First the Rabbit Foot, now the Nine Hells and the Sword Princess," the owner said happily.

The mention of the young man caught Aiz's attention.

"Bell was here?" she asked.

"Yep. Him and his goddess. She was practically bouncing off the walls, but the poor boy seemed a bit under the weather."

"He was sick?" Riveria asked, noticing how Aiz tensed.

"No, I don't think so, at least not physically. Seemed like he had something on his mind, but I didn't pry. Just gave him an extra helping of our secret sauce in hopes of cheering him up a bit," the owner replied.

"I see," the elf replied, taking note of the increasingly worried look Aiz had.

The two ordered and received their food, Riveria making sure to give the owner a good tip before they departed.

"It's my fault Bell's feeling badly, isn't it?" Aiz asked, staring down at her food.

"We can't be sure, but I suspect he misses you."

"I miss him too," Aiz stated instantly.

"_Well, I wasn't expect that to come out of her mouth so easily,"_ Riveria thought, her smile returning.

"Then why don't we go visit him later today. I'm sure he'll be very happy to see you."

Aiz's face lit up and she soon gave a vigorous nod.

"Yes, we should visit. You can see Achilles as well."

Riveria's smile vanished and was replaced by a blush.

"_I should have seen that coming."_

"There you guys are!"

"What was that about the Olympian?"

The two turned to find the other three members of their entourage returning to them, with Tiona smiling, Tione looking annoyed, and Lefiya looking dreadfully tired.

Naturally, Tiona was the last person that Riveria wished to discuss the topic of Achilles with, but the girl's attention had been grabbed and now she would not stop until she was sated.

"Are you going to confess to him?!" she asked excitedly.

"Please, keep your voice down," the elf asked, getting more embarrassed with each passing second.

"Well are you?" Tiona kept pressing.

Riveria sighed.

"I was not making any specific plans on it, no," she said.

"Aah, why not?" the amazon whined. "Don't you love him?"

"Tiona please, we're in public," Riveria pleaded, mortified.

"While I don't agree with my sister's whining, I do have to ask, Riveria, what precisely do you see in him?" Tione inquired, jumping in.

Seeing that all her companions' eyes were now focused solely on her, she sighed again.

"The Achilles you know is quite different from the one I knew many years ago," she began. "Back then he wasn't angry. He was cheerful. Energetic. Optimistic. A bright light of life that pulled you in and made everything seem… better."

All her young female proteges leaned in.

"He was kind. Courageous. Determined. I remember," she laughed as a memory came forward. "How much he loved to dance. No one danced as well as him, in any fashion nor for nearly as long. It was like he was born for it. And he was always there for me. To train. To listen to my problems. To congratulate me on my successes, no matter how small and making me feel like I had accomplished some Herculean feat," her eyes softened with adoration. "He was a good man through and through, that's how he earned my heart."

This was not a side that any of the other ladies of Loki familia had ever seen of their motherly elf, and it took them a while to respond.

"And now?" Tione asked.

"Now," Riveria said, losing a bit of her joyful tone. "His pain has eaten away at him. He's still the same person he always was, deep down, I know that," she said confidently. "But it's buried within him. Underneath the loss of his familia, his past with Freya, and I suspect, a great deal of self-loathing."

A sad silence fell over the group as they simply thought on all this.

"But," Tiona began. "You do love him right? So that means you're not gonna give up on him, right?"

Riveria's smile returned.

"I doubt you would let me even if I wanted to."

The smiles began to return at that, each young woman having a better understanding of both their elven superior and the man who had won her heart. However, there was one person who still had a question she wanted answered.

"Riveria." The elf turned to a certain sword maiden. "What's it like to be love?"

Everyone turned to Aiz.

"_Now there's a question I've been waiting to hear,"_ Riveria thought.

"Why the sudden interest?" she couldn't help but ask, wanting to tease, just a bit.

Aiz began to blush and fidget, causing the amazons to smile, and for Lefiya to start tearing up.

"I just… want to know," she said, trying to evade any specific reason.

"Hm. Well, it's a bit difficult to say exactly," Riveria stated. "The best way I can really describe it is that you're happy. But not, regular happy. This happiness runs deeper. It makes you feel warm and light. You feel like things will always be better with the other person around. Sometimes it's actually a bit nerve-wracking as you feel butterflies in your stomach when they're near you or if you think about them. And yet, you don't mind. As weird as it feels or as confusing as it can be, you don't want the feeling to go away. Overall, you just want to be around them. You're pulled towards the person and don't feel any need to resist because you know, even if maybe you're not willing to outwardly admit it, that being with them would bring you joy that few things, if anything else, ever could."

Aiz took this all in, everyone word, a tiny dash of red burning just a bit more brightly with every passing moment as realization finally set in for a question that she had been asking herself quite a lot recently.

"I...I guess I really do love-."

Aiz would not finish that sentence as suddenly a mass of dark energy shot into the sky over Orario and exploded in a roar of terrible power, sending a shock wave of air pulsing through the city streets, throwing items around, causing people to scream and cry in alarm, and nearly knocking many people over.

"What was that?!" Tione demanded asking the question the entire city was now wondering, even as they tried to get over the shock of what had just transpired.

"I'm not sure," Riveria said, before turning her gaze in the direction of the blast.

The remnants of the explosion were still dissipating in the air, giving an approximate location of where the explosion had originated.

"_That's in the direction of-."_

Aiz suddenly leapt away heading directly towards the origin of the explosion as fast as she could

"Aiz!"

* * *

Freya looked over the city with her usual smile painted on her lips.

"My lady," came the voice of Ottar. "They have arrived."

"Send them in," she said, her voice as sultry as ever.

A moment later the sound of feet echoed through her room.

"You've all been very naughty," she said, not even turning to face her familia.

"Our only desire is to serve you, my lady," came the voice of Allen Fromel.

"By attacking my beloved Bell?" she asked, finally turning around.

"No my lady. Indeed, we only went in search of him to ask that he finally respond to your letter. It was he that attacked us, even going so far as to throw in our faces that he knew we could not attack him due to your affections," the catman lied.

Freya walked up to her bowing officer, and yanked his head up so that he was staring into her eyes.

"You shouldn't lie to your goddess, Allen."

"M-My lady?"

"I am well aware of what transpired between all of you and my Bell," she stated. "I watched the entire scene take place from start to finish."

A nervous sweat dripped down the officers' skin.

"I knew you would try something eventually, your disdain for my dear Bell has been evident since the beginning," she said, her voice gaining the tiniest hint of anger. This lasted but a moment as her smile soon returned, only this time, the euphoria practically rolled off her. "Lucky for you, your actions allowed me to see something quite spectacular. To know that my Bell has come so far that he is willing to challenge all of you so directly, even using physical force was quite the sight to see," she said in evident delight. "So, given that no harm came to him, and I was provided such a delectable sight, I shall forgive you all for today, but," she warned, her voice cold and eyes barring down on her wayward officers. "Should you act out again I will be forced to punish you all quite… severely. Am I understood?"

Now sweating quite noticeably, all her officers, minus Ottar, bowed.

"Yes, Freya-sama!" they said.

"Good," she said, her voice returned to normal. "Then you are all-."

A shadow suddenly covered the room and a moment later the windows cracked as the sound of rushing air shook the room.

Turning around in surprise, Freya's eyes turned to the city, soon discovering it was not the city she needed to focus on, but the remnants of some dark explosion over the city.

Moving her eyes, she quickly discovered where the explosion had originated, her eyes widened in minor shock and extreme interest.

"Are you alright my lady?" Ottar asked, appearing by her side.

"Perfectly fine, Ottar, however, it appears something has happened at Hearthfire Manor," she said, turning her eyes to him.

Understanding instantly, he bowed.

"I shall leave immediately."

The boaz departed, leaving Freya to turn back towards the now frantic city, a smile on her lips.

"_I wonder what could have caused that."_

* * *

Eina sat on the bench, lunch in her lap, smiling contently as she soaked in the sun.

"_Such a nice day,"_ she thought, happily absorbing the sun's rays.

"Eina-san!"

She turned and found Misha running towards her, lunch box in hand.

"Sorry I'm late, my supervisor kept me back and wouldn't let me leave even though it was lunch time," she complained.

"Did you complete your work?" Eina asked with a teasing tone.

"I was gonna when I got back!" her fellow Guild work swore.

Eina laughed.

"Well, it's all done now, so you can enjoy your lunch without having to worry about it."

"I guess you're right," the pinkette admitted.

The two ate their lunches, talking cheerfully as they watched people pass by.

"So," Misha said, gaining a predatory gleam. "What's going on with you and the Rabbit Foot?"

Eina spit out her drink and began coughing violently.

"W-What… what are you talking about?" she asked, her face red.

"Oh come on, don't try and pretend that there is something between you two."

"T-There's absolutely nothing between us! I'm just his advisor!" Eina denied. "And even if there was that it would be between myself and Bell-kun."

"Ah come on Ein-."

She was cut off as the sky darkened and a terrible wind threw the girls against the bench they were sitting on.

Both quickly turned in the direction of the blast and saw the same darkened sky that every other resident of Orario was seeing.

"What the heck is that?" Misha asked, more than a bit freaked out.

"I don't know," Eina said.

"_But… isn't that in the direction of Bell's home?"_ she thought, fear eating at her heart.

* * *

Achilles's breath came out ragged and heavy, but he was still standing.

"_Though I can't say I'm in great condition."_

The attack had not been an easy one to block and even more difficult to redirect, both of which had come at a price.

The skin of his hands and arms was all burned away, revealing the bone and muscle underneath and his clothes had been reduced to barely more than burnt rags. That was not the only skin missing either, the blast had burned away some of the skin off his cheeks, allowing just a bit of white to be seen under his eyes. His shoes were gone, but his feet and legs were relatively fine, at least in comparison to his hands and arms. All of this, combined with extreme exhaustion after pouring his magic into his counter-attack made it very hard to stand. The smell of burnt flesh didn't help either.

However, he could not allow himself to fall, not until he was sure of something, and that something was standing a few paces away, his hand raised from his recent attack.

Bell was still glaring at him when the smoke cleared, the rage that fueled the attack having a few embers left, before exhaustion finally overtook Bell and his eyes rolled back and he collapsed.

"Bell!"

Achilles turned to find the rest of the Hestia familia running towards them as fast as they could.

Ryuu was the first to reach the downed captain, and quickly checked to see if he was alright. Finding his pulse and discovering he was still breathing, she let out a breath of release.

"He's alright. It's just Mind Zero," she said.

A bit of relief passed over the Hestia familia, but this lasted only a moment as they remembered what they had just witnessed, as well as the ex-captain only a few feet away.

"Achilles!" Hestia cried in shock, seeing his current state. "Are you alright?!"

"I'll be fine," he tried to reassure, though when he held up his hand to try and calm her, the sight of his bones did the exact opposite.

"What happened?" Lili asked, as disturbed as the rest of them by what they had just witnessed.

"In all honesty, I'm not completely sure," Achilles answered, his mind trying its best to make sense of what he witnessed.

No one knew what to say. They were desperate for answers given the immensity of what just happened, but none was sure how to proceed.

"Will think about this later," Hestia finally decided. "Right now, we need to take Bell inside to rest, and you need to be healed."

"I'll take care of that later," he responded.

"What? Why?" the goddess asked.

"Because the entire city just saw that," he pointed towards the sky. "And no doubt we're about to have company."

A new wave of nervousness passed over everyone.

"Then I'll go up and talk to those that come," Hestia stated.

"You don't know what happened."

"Neither do you, apparently," she countered.

"I don't really understand it, but I did partake, they'll take my word more readily as such. Once I'm done with whoever comes, I'll come back and tell you what happened as best as I can."

Everyone looked at each other, trying to figure out what best to do. Finally, and begrudgingly, they accepted Achilles's 'plan' if one could call it that.

"Very well, but I want a full report once you're back, you hear me?"

"Of course," Achilles said, bowing.

Everyone went back inside, the worried members of Hestia familia, taking their young captain upstairs while Achilles prepared himself for whatever was to come once he went outside.

He headed towards the front door, deciding to check to see how many had arrived already, finding at least a dozen already at the gates, one of whom he recognized instantly.

"_Of course she'd be the first."_

Aiz stood at the gate, pressing the bell over and over, desperately hoping someone would answer. She was severely tempted to simply jump the fence and burst in, but was stopped just before she did so by the sound of her name being called.

"Aiz!"

She turned and found Tiona, Tione, Lefiya, and Riveria running towards her.

"Geez, don't just run off like that, we want to know what's going on too," Tiona said.

"I'm sorry, it's just…," Aiz didn't know what to say.

"It's alright," Riveria said stepping forward. "We understand, and we're just as worried as you are."

Feeling a bit calmer, Aiz took a deep breath and nodded.

"Has anyone responded?"

That calm instantly disappeared the moment she heard that voice.

She and her familia all spun around to find Ottar standing only a few paces away.

"What are you doing here, Ottar?" Riveria asked.

"That explosion caught the attention of the entire city, my lady very much included. The fact that it has originated from here only serves as more justification for my being here," he stated.

None of them liked that, but none were prepared to try and compel him to leave.

By this point nearly a hundred people had arrived at the gates, hoping for answers as to the many questions connected with what they just witnessed, and all with a tinge of fear in their hearts.

"I think I see something," Lefiya called.

Everyone turned towards the direction she was looking and found the front door of the manor opening.

"Who is it?" someone asked.

"I can't tell yet."

The Loki familia and Ottar all waited for the person to draw nearer. Of course, they all instantly recognized that it was Achilles, but at the same time they all recognized that something was off. Once he got close enough, they realized why.

Lefiya gasped and Tiona and Tione did not look at ease as the full sight of the Olympian drew closer. Ottar's eyes narrowed as his former mentor and rival approached with his injuries bared to the world. Aiz fared little better than the amazons, her eyes widening in shock at seeing his state. The worst however, was Riveria, who felt a deep horror fill her as her eyes took in the sight of his burnt flesh and exposed muscle and bone.

"_Achilles...what happened?"_

Reaching the gate, Achilles pulled it open and stepped outside, ignoring the many looks he, or more accurately his wounds, were receiving.

"Afternoon," he greeted calmly. "I'm here to explain what you all just witnessed."

"Is that the same reason you are also currently injured, Achilles?" Ottar asked.

The ex-captain nodded.

"It is."

"Forget that for a moment! Achilles let me heal you!" Riveria cried, already preparing a spell.

"It's alright Riveria, I'll heal up once I'm done here. This needs to be explained as quickly as possible so that the entire city doesn't go completely crazy."

"But-."

"After. I swear," he said.

She was extraordinarily reluctant to leave him as he was, but she could practically feel the increasing number of eyes and ears pointing their way, and so relented.

"Thank you," he said, giving her the best smile he could at the moment.

"So," he began, his voice loud enough for all to hear. "Today I decided to train the Hestia familia in psychological attacks. The point was to boost their resistance to taunts, jeers, and distractions during a fight. I went through each of the members of the Hestia familia, ending with Bell Cranel. I did not hold back with any of them, and Bell was no exception. I hit a nerve. Indeed," he sighed, shame filling his features. "I went too far. Very much too far with my attacks. The result was, in all honesty, justified. My son attacked me with all the fury and rage he could muster. The end result," he pointed to the sky. "Was what you all saw. That was an Argonaut enhanced Firebolt, like the one I hear you all saw during the War Game with Apollo, only this one was far more powerful, as you can clearly see," he held up his hands. "All in all, what you just witnessed was the manifestation of the following statement. Do not, ever, make Bell Cranel angry."

This was a bit much to take in for those present. Bell Cranel, after all, while a respected adventurer of known quality, was not someone anyone thought to fear. It simply wasn't in his nature to be fearsome, intimidating, or terrifying. The closest anyone had seen to him actually being any of these things was his confrontation with Freya at her party. He had shown a level of fearsomeness at that moment, but it was in a bout of anger, and understandable anger against someone who had just made a move against his family. This led many to wonder what precisely could have been said to make the Rabbit Foot enraged enough to inflict those kinds of injuries on his own father.

For her part, Aiz could not believe it was true.

"That can't be right. Bell would never do anything like that. Especially not to someone he cares for. That's not who he is," she said.

"I pushed him too far," Achilles reiterated simply, though the regret in his voice was greater than before. "I take the entire blame and full responsibility for what transpired. As I said, these injuries were justified. I hurt him. Quite deeply, much to be immense regret. However, you are completely right to defend him. Bell is a good, noble, and kind young man. That said, I have heard it said that the most terrifying thing in the world is a good man who has been pushed too far. Even monsters will tire and retreat in time, but a man of virtue and quality, when pushed over the line, will not. He will never tire. He will never stop. Or so the saying goes," Achilles explained.

"What did you say to set him off?" Ottar asked.

"That is for me to know and for you to never find out," Achilles answered. "Nor should you want to, else you would run the risk of facing what I did, and if my boy is willing to do this to me, I can't imagine what he'd be willing to do to you."

Ottar did not seem to care for that answer, but then again, Achilles didn't care if he did. Besides, he was too focused on the lie he had just said.

"_He was willing to do this because I was his father. A father who just threatened to kill the woman he loved."_

His heart sank deeper into his stomach, and it was only when a soft hand touched his shoulder that he was able to snap out of it.

"Achilles?" Riveria called softly.

He smiled as best he could.

"I'm fine," he reassured her, though it was clear she didn't believe that for even half a moment. "Anyway, that's about all I have to say, so if you'll all excuse me, I'm going to go deal with my injuries."

"Wait!"

He and everyone else turned to find Eina sweating and breathing heavily.

"Is… is Bell-kun alright?" she asked.

"Yes, Bell is fine. He sustained no injuries, he simply overused his magic."

Eina seemed relieved, as did Aiz and the members of the Loki familia, though there were those amongst the crowd who did not seem so at ease. Whether this was because the knowledge that the Hestia familia captain managed to injure the famous ex-captain of Zeus familia without injury, or perhaps out of simple jealousy of his apparent power, was not discernable, but whatever their reasons, Achilles did not care.

"Well, if there's nothing else," he said, turning around again.

"My lady will expect more."

"Your lady," Achilles said, turning to face Ottar. "Can expect whatever she wants, doesn't mean she'll get it, no matter how many times she claims to 'always getting what she wants'."

Ottar glared at Achilles but made no reply, allowing Achilles to finally depart, leaving behind a still quite frightened group outside the gates, including a certain green-haired elf.

"_Achilles, what happened between you two? What could have possibly driven him to this end?"_

Not far away, a golden-haired princess stared at Hearthfire Manor in the direction of its captain.

"_Please be alright, Bell."_

* * *

Achilles re-entered Hearthfire Manor and sighed heavily.

"_Why did I do this? Why did I say that? I could have explained my worry to him without going after Aiz like that. Why would I say that?!"_ he screamed internally as his face fell into his hand. "_Why would I effectively force him to choose him between me and the woman he loves," _tears began to form at the corner of his eyes. "_And now the whole city is scared shitless, again, and that fear is directed right at him. Gods,"_ his heart was ready to explode in guilt. "_I'm so sorry, Bell."_

"Achilles?"

He looked up and found Hestia and the rest of her familia a few paces away.

"I explained what happened to the people outside, so, with any luck, that information should start to spread and things will calm down," he said quickly, hoping that they wouldn't ask questions about his current state.

Naturally, they were inclined to do just that. No one failed to notice the distress look on his face or the tears that he was barely managing to restrain. They could tell how desperately he wished not to talk about what was eating him alive, but they also knew that they would have to, given it was unquestionably related to what transpired with Bell.

"Alright," Hestia said softly. "Then can you explain to us what precisely happened."

He nodded, as the strength to even speak was becoming increasingly harder to find.

They all made their way to the living room and took their seats, waiting as patiently as possible for Achilles to begin.

"I know of two ways to get under Bell's skin. The first, is all of you," he said, looking at each of them. "You're his familia. His friends. His family. Going after you, even with words will have a good chance of earning his ire."

They all nodded, Welf and Lili both thinking back to their initial fight with Apollo familia.

"The second, is Aiz Wallenstein," Achilles continued. "And given recent events I decided to follow that route with Bell."

Nervousness began to seep into the members of the Hestia familia.

"I began by apologizing to him for telling Aiz about her mother. Given that my doing so led to the rift reopening between the two of them, I felt it was appropriate. Then, I began going on the offensive."

Fists tightened, the worry in everyone's eyes grew, and someone was tapping their foot anxiously.

"I began to question him on her. More specifically, on her desire to kill the One-Eyed Black Dragon. I pointed out how easy it was for her to fall back into her anger and vengeance and then I asked him if he believed his love would be enough to pull her out of her rage. Or, failing that, would she be able to love him more than she hated the Dragon. He was unable to answer."

The worry began to suffocate all those in the room, but they knew they couldn't stop him. They needed the truth, even if they didn't want it.

"And so," Achilles voice began to crack. "I told him that, if need be, I would protect him, even from her. I told him that, if there was a risk that if," he choked for a moment. "That if there was a risk she would pull him into a fight with the One-Eyed Black Dragon, I would… intervene."

That last word hung over all of them like a sword.

"Intervene… how?" Hestia managed to ask.

His only answer was to look into her eyes.

"Oh."

The realization of his words passed through all of them and froze them to their core. They all understood why he would make such a threat, they truly did, and in some ways might have even been grateful. They didn't want to lose Bell to anything, and that certainly included due to the actions of Aiz Wallenstein. Yet, they all understood the implications of that threat, namely how it would affect Bell and the anger and fear it would fill him with.

Hestia stood, catching everyone's attention. She walked up to Achilles, who was slouched over in shame and guilt, but who managed to hold her eyes, if only barely.

"I understand why you would do that, Achilles-kun," she said, her voice gentle, yet holding an unmistakable sternness. "And I thank you for caring about Bell so much and wanting to protect him so desperately. That makes me very happy. However," her voice lost all gentleness. "You and I both know how much that would hurt Bell. How it would strike at his heart to hear his own father threaten the woman who's earned his heart." Achilles couldn't hold her eyes anymore and his gaze fell as guilty tears finally began to freely flow. "I do not want my Bell hurting, for any reason. Not from a simple papercut. Not because Aiz Wallenstein has been threatened. And not because he has come to hate the man whom he so happily claimed as his father."

Achilles looked back up, his crying eyes staring at the unwavering eyes of the goddess.

"So you will rescind your threat, just as you did with the Loki familia, but you will do so with the most complete and sincere apology that has ever been given. Not for the threat you made against Aiz Wallenstein. As far as I'm concerned you simply acted as a father and sought to protect your son. Cruel though the threat might be. No, you will apologize because that threat has torn you two apart. Two people who should love and trust each other. That is what you will apologize for," Hestia ordered.

Achilles could not answer, not with words. His body could barely manage to hold her gaze. So, he did the one thing he could. He bowed, his head falling as far as it could, before giving a single, shaking but resolute nod.

"Good. Now heal yourself. Get on some new clothes. Clean yourself up and prepare for whatever my Bell-kun will throw at you when he wakes up."

Achilles nodded again and got up silently, before departing the room, leaving behind a silent Hestia familia filled with worry.

* * *

Syr was working as hard as she could, not because she had suddenly gained a strong work habit, but to try and distract herself. Unfortunately, it appeared that no matter how desperately she tried to not think about what had happened only a few hours earlier, luck would not allow her to forget it.

"So you're saying it was the Rabbit Foot?" one of the patrons asked the man beside him.

She froze for a moment, but quickly shook it off, pretending she had misheard or that they were talking about some other 'Rabbit Foot'.

"Yeah, I have a pal who was there when the Olympian explained everything. Said that the attack was because the Rabbit was pissed off about something."

She tried to shut off her ears, to drown out what she was hearing, but she couldn't.

"Shit, that blast looked like it could level a city block and it came from the Rabbit? Shit, he's scarier than I thought."

"Yeah, the whole city's freaking out. I've even begun hearing that there are familia who are looking to nab him or even, you know," the guy ran his thumb across his throat.

The tray in Syr's hands nearly broke.

"Can't really blame them can we? If the Rabbit Foot can do that he could take out a freaking familia by himself. But the question is, how would they get past the Olympian?"

"From what I heard they might not need to. My friend said that when the Olympian came out he looked like a freaking corpse. Burns everywhere. Bones sticking out. Blood dripping from him. He might be dead by now."

"Shit, you serious? The Rabbit Foot killed the Olympian? If that's true he really needs to be taken out before he destroys the whole freaking city."

Syr couldn't take anymore, and slammed her tray down, catching the attention of everyone in the Hostess of Fertility.

"Don't you dare-!"

The sound of shattering wood cut her off and everyone refocused on the counter where an angry Mama Mia held her fist over the ruined furniture.

"This is a place of food and drink. A place to relax and have fun, not plan assassinations, especially not of one of my best customers." she said. "So if you want to talk about that filth you can pay your tab and head elsewhere, you bastards!"

The two guys that had been talking were effectively cowed and quickly shut up before focusing all their attention on their food.

"Syr." The gray-haired young woman turned. "Come here," Mia ordered.

Syr did as ordered and headed towards the back where Mia was waiting for her with her arms crossed.

"I won't ask you if you're alright, 'cause you're definitely not, but I will tell you not to listen to fools like that."

"I'm sorry, Mama," she said meekly.

"Did I ask for an apology? If you're going to apologize, apologize for slacking off at work, not because the boy your pining for scared the city shitless."

"Mama," Syr said, not knowing what else to say.

"The kid's no monster," Mia pressed on. "Whatever set him off was probably a one-time thing. Even if it wasn't the kid's allowed to get pissed off everyone once in a while. Monsters trying to kill him. Crazy gods trying to claim him, and a father who can be the world's biggest asshole, he's got a lot on his plate. He has the right to get pissed off every once in a while. That doesn't mean however that he's suddenly become a bad kid. Got that?"

Surprised by the defense of the boy she loved, it took Syr a moment to regain herself, but when she did, she smiled.

"Yes Mama. Thank you," she said, bowing.

"Thank me by doing your job and doing it well."

"Yes ma'am!" Syr said, quickly departing to get back to work.

Mia watched her go then sighed.

"Please don't prove me wrong, kid."

* * *

Bell's eyes slowly fluttered open.

For a moment he wondered where he was before he recognized that he was in his room.

"_How did I get here?"_ he wondered.

He turned his head and found Hestia sleeping beside him.

"Hestia-sama?"

Even in sleep, the goddess reacted to the young man she loved and began to awaken. A few moments later, she sat up, cleared her eyes, then looked at him.

"Oh, Bell-kun, you're awake," she said with a smile.

"What happened?" he asked, his mind still foggy.

"You… you had a fight with your father," she said wearily.

Everything rushed back to Bell's mind and his eyes darkened and his fists tightened.

"Caesar-san."

The cold, formal way her captain said that hurt Hestia as she hated seeing him so angry and at someone he truly did care for.

"I understand why you're angry, Bell. He went too far."

"He told you?" he asked, his voice holding none of the usual gentleness it had when speaking with her.

She nodded.

"He did. He told all of us, and he's very sorry."

Bell growled.

"He should never have threatened her in the first place."

"He knows that, but he's just so protective of you," she tried to defend the ex-captain.

"I can take care of myself."

"That doesn't mean others don't want to protect and help you, Bell-kun. No matter how strong you are, I, our familia, your father, will want to protect you. So please," she placed her hand against his cheek. "Allow him to apologize. Yell and scream at him all you want, but forgive him because I know you, Bell, and I know you love him. Your anger only proves that as it shows how hurt you are by what he did. That's why he will apologize to you, completely and totally, and it's why you need to forgive him. So that you can reunite with your father."

Bell wanted to argue. Wanted to scream and shout how much he hated Achilles Caesar. That the man was evil and his threat was proof of it. That he regretted ever claiming the older captain at his father, but he couldn't. Not when his goddess was talking to him so gently. Not when she was looking at him the way she was, and not when he knew she was speaking the truth.

"I'll hear him out," he said bitterly.

Hestia smiled and kissed his forehead.

"Thank you, Bell-kun."

He departed and a moment later he heard her calling for Achilles.

The former captain walked inside, shame evident on everyone inch of his body. Yet, for all his shame and for all his guilt, he still looked his son in the eye. Bell deserved that much.

"Bell," he said, bowing.

"Caesar-san."

A knife to the heart would have hurt less than that and Achilles doubled over as that name echoed in his mind.

"I… I-I'm here to apologize."

"For what, precisely?" Bell asked, wanting, nay, demanding the man before him say it.

"For… for threatening Aiz Wallenstein."

"Threatening her… how?" Bell growled.

"By threatening her life," Achilles said, unable to meet Bell's gaze.

Bell's nails bit into his hand, breaking the skin.

"Did you mean it?"

"At the time, yes," Achilles admitted.

Bell's teeth gnashed together.

"Why?"

"Because," Achilles looked back up at him. "I love you, Bell, and the thought of losing you hurts me like nothing else has."

"If you loved me you wouldn't threaten the person I love!" Bell roared, jumping out of bed.

"You're right. You're absolutely right," Achilles willingly admitted. "I should have found a different way. A better way. I let my own fear and anger overshadow my reason and my compassion and for that," he fell to his knees. "I am sorry," he placed his head firmly against the floor. "Because of my own foolishness I did the last thing I ever wanted to do. Hurt you. I can never apologize enough for that, but I will do whatever it takes, for however long it takes to make it up to you."

Bell stared down at Achilles, the man who he so recently looked up to, the one who he had called his father and loved as a son loves a father, with scorn.

"Then rescind your threat," he demanded.

"Done," Achilles replied instantly. "I will never lay a malevolent hand on her, I swear."

Bell continued to stare down at him.

"Not enough."

Achilles pressed his head more firmly against the ground.

"What else would you have of me?"

"A father protects his children, but he also works towards their happiness. You have fulfilled the first requirement, but failed in the second, as such, you are not a father."

A part of Achilles died at that.

"However, there is a way for you to do both."

Achilles's head shot up, his tearful eyes staring directly into the eyes of the boy he wished to once more be able to call 'son'.

"What must I do?" he asked desperately.

"I love Aiz. I want to stand by her side through good and through ill. If that means facing the One-Eyed Black Dragon, so be it." Achilles's nails bit into the floor. "So, there's only one option," Bell squatted before the only survivor of the Dragon. "Help us."

"W-What?"

"Help us. Train us. Make us stronger. Strong enough that we can defeat it, together. Ensure that we survive by being our mentor, our protector, and our ally. Do that, and you can fulfill both roles. Do that, and you can be a father. My father," Bell said, his anger finally dissipating as he offered the one chance at redemption Achilles would ever have.

"I…"

"_What matters more to you? Your fear of the Dragon or your son?" _ a voice echoed in his mind.

That was all he needed and soon, his eyes lost their misery, fear, and confusion, and regained their fire.

"I won't let you down, ever again."

Bell finally smiled, lifting the weight off both their souls.

"Then it's a deal," he said, holding out his hand.

Achilles took the hand and Bell pulled him to his feet. The moment he was back up, Achilles pulled his son into a tight hug.

"I'm sorry Bell. I'm so sorry. I promise I'll never hurt you again. No matter what, I'll never make you regret choosing me again."

"I know, Dad. I know," Bell said, returning the hug.

* * *

Outside the door, Hestia smiled and turned to the rest of the Hestia familia, who were awaiting the results of Bell and Achilles's talk.

Her smile and a thumb's up was enough for their anxiety and fear to finally dissipate and they all let out a breath of relief as things were set right.

Hestia's smile grew as all the negative feelings that had consumed them disappeared and she had to hold in a laugh of relief.

"_Honestly, you two are such a handful,"_ she thought looking towards the door. "_But I wouldn't have it any other way."_

* * *

Achilles maintained his respectful bow during the entire process, knowing now was not the time for anything but the fullest courtesy and politeness.

"A training exercise?" Ouranos asked, reaffirming what he'd heard.

"Yes, Ouranos-sama. A psychological training, to be precise."

"And the explosion of magical energy that countless citizens of this city saw was a result of you 'pushing' Bell Cranel too far?"

"Yes, Ouranos-sama."

"And you still refuse to say what exactly you said to Bell Cranel?"

"Forgive me, Ouranos-sama, but yes. It doesn't seem right to divulge that information, but I can swear it will never happen again."

"You and I both know that you cannot make that promise, Achilles Caesar." Achilles did not respond. "The city is in a state of panic due to the many incidents that have happened recently, disturbing the peace of Orario. Monsters on the surface. Familias destroyed. Powerful magic being shot into the sky. Twice. Combined with the concern over a potential war in the streets. This does not sit well with me, Achilles Caesar. None of this does."

"I understand, Ouranos-sama."

The elder god stared down at the human before him, before letting out an uncharacteristic sigh.

"Not all of this is your fault however. Indeed, much of it occurred before your return and is just a mess you have stepped into. That said, I cannot overlook the incidents you are involved in. As such, I am fining you again for your actions. One million valis seems enough for now. But I am also stipulating that, in the future, you will answer my summons for a mission that I shall give you. Am I understood?"

"Perfectly, Ouranos-sama."

"Then you are dismissed."

Achilles bowed more deeply, then departed, leaving the god to continue his prayers and ponder the future of Orario.

Achilles made his way through the city, noting the renewed attention on himself and the increased number of whispers.

"_Give it a week. They'll find something else to talk about,"_ he thought, hoping that whatever it was had absolutely nothing to do with him.

He returned to Hearthfire Manor and planned on checking in on Bell before trying to catch up on some sleep. His plans changed however when he was met by the sight of an anxious looking Hestia.

"Hestia-sama? Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No, well... not really." He grew confused. "It's just… I updated Bell's status and he's levelled up."

"Bell's a level five now?" She nodded. "That's great!"

"It is. And he got a new skill, but you see… that's the problem."

"How can that be a problem?" Achilles asked, more confused than before.

Hestia's response was to hand him Bell's status sheet.

Achilles took it and began searching for the new skill. When he found it, he immediately understood.

"Oh," he said.

"Yeah. When Bell saw it he just went quiet. I think you should talk to him," she suggested.

"I'll do that."

Making his way upstairs, Achilles went up to Bell's door and knocked.

"Bell?" he called, slowly opening the door.

His son was sitting on his bed, looking quite unhappy for someone who had just become an official upper-class adventurer.

"Bell," Achilles said, giving his son a gentle smile.

"Hi Dad," was the young man's only response.

"And why, young man, aren't you celebrating?"

"Because I… I got a new skill and-."

"It's not what you expected?" Achilles finished.

Bell finally looked up and nodded.

"Well, I'll admit I was a bit surprised when I saw it," the Olympian said, looking over the status sheet. "But then again this just reinforces what I already knew. Don't, under any circumstances, make you mad," he joked with a smile.

"Dad…"

"Bell," Achilles said, taking a seat next to his son. "This," he said holding up the sheet. "Isn't a bad thing. Heck, this isn't even the first time I've seen a skill like this. Finn has a skill like this too," he pointed out.

"He does?" Bell asked.

"Mhmm. It's one of the reasons I try to avoid pissing him off too. So, don't think this is some sort of negative reflection on you, Bell."

"But," Bell still wasn't wholly convinced. "Isn't this because of what I did?"

"And what did you do Bell, besides becoming a level five in less than a year?"

"I… I tried to kill you."

The room fell silent for a moment before the unlikeliest sound echoed through it. Laughter.

Bell turned to his father in shock.

"Is that all?" Achilles asked.

"W-Wha-?"

"Bell, I totally deserved what you did. I threatened someone close to your heart. I not only deserved that particular ass-kicking, but needed it. I was monstrous at that moment so don't feel guilty for even a moment for giving me my just desserts."

"Dad…" Bell wasn't sure what to say given that the normal reaction to being told that someone tried to kill you wasn't laughter.

"Bell," Achilles said, smiling. "You did nothing wrong."

"I… I don't think I can believe that."

Seeing the state his son was in, Achilles got up and took a knee in front of him.

"Then how do we fix this? I can't exactly leave my boy feeling all guilty when he's not."

"I want to make it up to you. What I did was wrong, I know it was. No matter how angry I was I shouldn't have done what I did. So please, tell me how I can make this up to you, Dad."

Achilles wanted to say that he didn't need Bell to make anything up to him, but seeing the look in his eyes, he knew that wouldn't do. So he began to think, trying to find something that they could both agree to that would resolve this issue.

"_What could he do or what could I ask for that would relieve him of this guilt?"_

He thought for a few moments when the answer came to him, and he smiled.

"I think I have an idea," he told his son. "It's actually something I've been considering for a while now and I think I'm ready to ask it."

"Anything. Whatever it is, I'll do!" Bell immediately stated, jumping on the opportunity to correct his mistake.

"Alright, but we're going to need Hestia for this."

Bell titled his head in confusion, which only made Achilles's smile widen.

* * *

Every member of the Hestia familia was practically bouncing in excitement.

"I can't believe this is happening," Haruhime said, brightly smiling.

"Yeah, can't say I expected this to happen, not that I'm complaining," Welf said, smiling himself.

"Lili just wished it didn't take so much craziness for it to happen," the resident prum stated.

The sound of feet approaching caused them all to turn and Hestia and Achilles soon appeared before them, both beaming.

"Well, with that all done, I think we need to head to the Guild to make it official," Achilles said.

"Yep! Boy, I can't wait to see the looks on their faces," Hestia said, pushing out her chest in prideful delight.

"No time like the present," Bell said, smiling at his father.

"Then let's get to it," Achilles said, returning the smile.

The entire familia made their way through the streets of Orario, aware of all the looks they were getting, but not caring in the least, not only because of what to come, but because they knew that, once it happened, everyone would be talking about something else.

They arrived, and Bell soon noticed Eina.

"Eina-san!"

The half-elf looked up, surprised to see not only Bell, but his whole familia and Achilles with him.

"Bell-kun? Are you alright?" she asked having heard no news about his condition since Achilles's had told her he was fine.

"Yes I'm fine. Actually I'm great!" he said, smiling.

The smile caught her off guard, having been worried about him for nearly two days, but she quickly decided that she wasn't about to complain and smiled back.

"What has you so happy?" she asked.

"That's actually why we're here," Achilles said, stepping forward. "You see, we need your help with two little things."

"Oh? How can I help?"

"Well, firstly, we need to update Bell's information at the Guild since he's now a level five."

"You levelled up again?!" Eina asked, loud enough for everyone in the Guild to hear her.

"Yep," Bell said, giving her the same bright smile he'd given her when he'd first leveled up, though this time it caused her heart to jump and her face to warm up.

"That's wonderful!" she said after calming herself down. "I'll be happy to help you. And what's the other thing you need?" she asked Achilles.

"I need to update my own information. Namely I need to re-register my familia," Achilles stated.

"You're going to restart the Zeus familia?" Eina questioned in shock, earning even more interest from those in the Guild.

The members of the Hestia familia almost laughed in delight as their bounciness became almost uncontrollable.

Achilles, for his part, simply smiled and shook his head.

"No. I need to re-register what familia I'm in given I am no longer a member of the Zeus familia, but the Hestia familia."

Eina's jaw dropped while Misha, who had been listening intently a few feet away, spit out her drink.

They were not the only ones with these reactions and the entire Hestia familia, including its newest member, all beamed as they took in the sight of everyone in the Guild either spitting out their drinks or unhinging their jaws.

* * *

She watched the adventurer pack with her usual stern gaze.

"Your objective is simply reconissiance, nothing more," she said, taking note of the weapons the woman was packing.

"It may already be too late for that, Hera-sama," the woman replied. "If he's awakened like she said he has then we need to be prepared to do more than simply watch."

"It was a minor incident lasting but a few minutes," Hera stated.

"And can we be sure that it will be the same the next time?" the woman asked.

"Please don't hurt him, Dido."

The goddess and the woman turned towards the new voice.

"As I told Hera-sama, I will do what I must," Dido stated firmly, completely lacking any sympathy towards the new woman.

A fire suddenly grew in the new woman's eyes as she glared at Dido.

"Don't you dare hurt my son," she warned.

Dido didn't even flinch.

"You are terrifying, Aria, but you don't terrify me nearly as much as your son does."

* * *

Holy Hell! That was a MONSTER. I almost hit 25,000 words with this one. Whew! There were so many times I was tempted to split it again, but I said I was going to get it all done in this chapter and I meant it! But, goodness, not only did I keep having to rewrite and fix this one up to make sure it made sense (I hope), but I kept thinking up new stuff that I wanted to add. Ah, the pains of being a writer.

That said, I am SO happy I finally got to this chapter. This was the one that inspired the whole story and I've been waiting for over a year to finally write it.

So, please do tell me what you think. This one was a bit chaotic and I know it might have come across like I was resolving things too quickly, but I thought it made sense in context and for the story, so I hope you'll forgive me that. It was also a lot longer than my other chapters, but I do hope you all still enjoyed it. From here on out, we'll be diving into the real plot of the story and inching our way towards more and more good stuff (or what I hope will be viewed as good stuff). So, share your thoughts and send me your feedback as I do love hearing from you guys.

With that, I'll sign off for the day and bid you farewell. So, until next time, bye for now.


	24. Chapter 24

Hello my good people!

Well, you guys seem to have enjoyed the last chapter, which makes me very happy. Though, many of you seem very anxious/confused/concerned/possibly angry about what Aria was suggesting at the end of the chapter. On that note… well, you're going to have to wait and see what she means :p .

That said I am overjoyed that so many of you responded and I do encourage you all to do so as much as you can in the future, and not just because I like your kind words. As stated in the past you, my dear audience, have pointed out issues that I made, which has allowed me a chance to correct things. It has also provided me a chance to interact with you which has been quite enjoyable for me. I especially encourage this now that the true plot has begun. Everything before was the warm-up and now things are going to truly heat up.

But, I've blabbered on long enough, it's time to jump back into the story and see how our dear characters are doing, so let's get to it.

* * *

I do not own Danmachi

Hermes sat behind his desk, his usual smile on his face as he waited patiently for his child to return.

"Hermes-sama," came her voice alongside a knock at his door.

"Come in, Asfi."

The young woman entered.

"Do you have any more information?"

She shook her head.

"No. All the information appears to be relatively the same. The explosion above the city originated from Hearthfire Manor and was done by Bell Cranel. Rumors are flying around the incident, ranging from there being a hidden member of the Hestia familia to Bell Cranel secretly keeping a monster in the manor for… uncouth purposes."

Hermes lost his smile.

"That is unfortunate."

"Quite," she agreed. "The most common rumor however is that Achilles Caesar was on death's door and may have perished from the attack by succumbing to his wounds. This seems unlikely given everything, but it also appears to be the closest to the truth." Hermes's ears perked up. "I was able to find numerous eye-witnesses who claim to have been present when Achilles revealed what had transpired between him and Bell Cranel. Apparently he was gravely injured doing some kind of mental training where Achilles hit a sensitive issue, enraging Bell-san."

"And this sensitive issue was?" the god inquired.

"Unknown. Achilles did not share."

"Hm," Hermes stood up. "And what are the people's thoughts on Bell?"

There was no way for Asfi to misinterpret what he was asking.

"They're afraid and some have suggested that he be eliminated."

"How dreadful," Hermes said, though not an ounce of fear or shock was present in his voice. "Bell Cranel is the hero who will complete the Great Quests. He has the strength. He has a mentor who can teach and guide him. He even has a princess for whom to rescue," he smiled. "Most importantly he has the drive to be a hero. He cannot be stopped now because of a simple misunderstanding," he turned around and faced his captain, his smile unwavering. "So, my dear Asfi, would you be so kind as to convince them to… reconsider their position?"

Asfi's frown deepened.

"Understood."

* * *

Tiona was bouncing in impatience.

"Can we get going yet?!" she cried.

"Hold your freaking horses!" her sister demanded, thoroughly annoyed with her sister.

"But I wanna talk with Argonaut-kun!" the young amazon complained. "We haven't seen him in a freaking week and I wanna ask him about that explosion in the sky. I mean, you saw what he did to the Olympian. The Olympian! I wanna know how he did that and then have a go at him!"

The wording of that caused a few blushes to appear in the room.

"You mean fight him to see how strong he is, correct?" Riveria asked.

"Yeah. What else could I mean?" Tiona asked.

The blushes intensified.

"Doesn't matter," the elven mother of Loki familia replied. "But, it will be good to see them all again," her head turned towards a blonde sword user who, while not as verbal as the amazon, was clearly eager to get going as well if her rapidly tapping foot was any indication.

"_She practically ready to burst,"_ she thought in amusement.

"Yeah, and you can use this as an opportunity to get closer to the Olympian," Tiona decided to throw in.

And just like that, all amusement Riveria felt was gone as she suddenly felt all eyes on her and her cheeks beginning to burn.

"We're not going there for that," she tried to counter.

"We're also not going there _not_ to do that," Finn decided to jump in. "Besides, if Achilles's injuries are really as bad as you said then you can take the opportunity to do a 'check up' and see if his wounds are completely healed."

Riveria's face exploded into red as most of the familia smiled or burst into laughs and chuckles. The notable exception being Bete.

"I think I'm going to heave," he said.

"T-That is a vulgar thing to say!" Riveria declared.

Finn just laughed.

"I'm just teasing, Riveria," he replied.

"Still," her mind filled with images of recent injuries. His burnt flesh, exposed muscle and bone, and the miserable look in his eyes. Things became worse in her mind as she remembered what he had shown her back in the Dungeon. The injury he suffered from the Dragon and all its horror, the knowledge he had suffered from such a terrible wound for years causing her heart to sink further.

"_He doesn't deserve the punishment the world keeps sending his way,"_ she thought.

"It's inappropriate," she finished, her voice low and despondent.

The shift in tone was not lost on anyone and they all quickly realized they had stepped into territory they had not meant to.

A hand on her shoulder brought Riveria back to reality and she turned.

Aiz smiled at her.

"I'm sure Achilles will be very happy to see you," she said gently and honestly.

Those words, and the pure benevolence behind them, allowed Riveria to escape her forlornness and smile again.

"Well, tease as I'm sure you will, I will be happy to see him again as well."

This time, no one said anything, but simply smiled, glad that whatever had transpired had passed and the good feelings had returned.

"Then let's get going!" Tiona declared.

They were all prepared to do just that when a man burst into the hall, out of breath.

"What's going on?" Finn asked, immediately on alert given the man's state.

"I…" the man tried to catch his breath. "I just came from… the Guild. The Rabbit Foot…"

That instantly got everyone's attention and Aiz tensed as fear filled her eyes.

"What happened with Bell Cranel?" Finn asked, even more on edge now, alongside his familia.

"He's… he's reached level five."

With those words, the fear was gone, replaced by surprise.

"Bell Cranel has reached level five?" Finn asked.

The man nodded.

"Yeah. And not only that. But the Olympian…" everyone's ears perked up, none more so than Riveria's whose ears quite literally jumped at the name. "He's joined the Hestia familia."

Finn, Gareth, and Riveria actually felt their jaws drop at that.

"Achilles left the Zeus familia?" Riveria asked, flabbergasted.

"Yeah. I was in the Guild when they announced both. Originally, we all thought he was restarting his familia, but he said he was now a member of the Hestia familia."

"Well that's… beyond surprising," Finn stated.

"Really?" Tiona asked, cocking her head to the side. "Doesn't it make sense though? Bell's his son now, and he was living with them, so is it really that shocking?"

"In some ways no, but for us that have known him for so long, it's quite the turn of events," Riveria said. "The Zeus familia was his family, through and through. They, alongside the Hera familia were the single most important thing in the world to him. Who he was, his very identity, was wrapped up in being a member of the familia. It was the only one he was ever a part of. His whole life in Orario was spent with them, so for him to leave it is, while understandable within context, quite astounding."

There were a few nods amongst the Loki familia. More interestingly though, Tiona gained a look of deep contemplating as she took in this information.

"But, that means he's ready to move on, doesn't it? He's ready to make a new family."

So pure and sweet were those words that Riveria could not help smiling.

"Perhaps you are right, Tiona. Indeed, I think you are precisely right."

More smiles appeared and Tiona was practically beaming. That was, until her sister jumped in.

"First time for everything."

"Hey!"

The room filled with laughter as the earlier fear was forgotten.

* * *

The Loki familia made their way through the streets, smiling without a care in the world, except for Bete who was being his usual self, and Lefiya who was looking towards Aiz was near tearful eyes. Naturally, both of these less than stellar moods were noticed by the bouncy amazon, who began to tease the werewolf and soothe the elf to the best of her abilities.

Finn watched all this transpire with his own smile plastered on his face, happy that things were going back to normal.

"_That's what I'd like to believe,"_ his smile disappeared as his eyes moved away from his familia. "_But those eyes aren't exactly making me feel easy."_

All around them the people they passed watched them with baited breath and nervous gazes. The closer they got to the Hearthfire Manor the more eyes turned their way and the more nervous, and worse yet, eager, the eyes became.

"You've noticed it too," Riveria said.

"Yeah," he replied. "They're expecting something from us."

"It doesn't take a genius to figure out what that is," Gareth added, his previously cheery demeanor turning noticeably colder.

They continued along, hoping that the eyes would soon realize that they had no intention of fulfilling any dark desires that day, but the eyes only grew in number and eagerness.

"Why's everyone staring?" Tiona asked, looking around.

Bete growled, not liking the attention on them and glaring at those they passed with increasing suspicion.

"What's going on, Aiz-san?" Lefiya asked, placing herself closer to the Sword Princess.

"I don't know," she replied, but the frigid look in her eyes suggested otherwise.

Now that they recognized the stares everyone was focused on those they passed and the whispers that now reached their ears.

"They're heading for Hearthfire Manor, right?"

"They must be."

"But they're not armed."

"Maybe that's to trick them."

"But what about the Olympian?"

"Isn't he dead?"

"Without him they wouldn't stand a chance against the Loki familia."

"They might not even resist after that terrifying display. They might even help to get rid of the Rabbit."

Voices from every direction were hitting them and filling them with dread and rage, none more so than Aiz whose knuckles had long since bled white and who looked ready to attack the next person she saw.

"Mommy, are they going to defeat the monster?"

That one question, so innocently asked, was all Aiz could stand, her eyes shot towards the source and found a child and their mother. Neither noticed the Sword Princess's glare immediately, but there was only so long they could fail to notice the anger rolling off her. The mother jumped at the frightful glare, but Aiz was not prepared to leave it at that and was about to make her way over to the mother when a hand grabbed her shoulder.

Shooting back around, Aiz discovered Riveria next to her, sympathetic eyes pointing at her.

"Don't, Aiz. I know how upsetting their words must be, but it will do no good to react in anger."

"They called him a monster," she replied, her voice both cold as ice and hot as an inferno.

"I know. That is what fear does to people."

"He's not a monster."

"I know. But they have to realize that themselves and, in time, they will. But attacking them won't help Bell and I know for a fact that he would not wish you to be angry in any case, especially in defense of him,even if he might appreciate your efforts."

Aiz's gaze fell to the ground. She still wanted to confront those who had spoken so unjustly about the young man who had wormed his way into her heart. Wanted to force them to rescind their words and make them beg for forgiveness, but Riveria's words pulled her back, especially those about the boy himself.

"Fine," she conceded.

"Thank you," Riveria said.

Seeing that the conflict had been averted, the Loki familia continued on its way, though now most of them were glaring at those whose words they managed to catch.

Finally, and to the great relief of the trickster goddess's familia, they arrived at their destination.

It was Aiz who went to the gate bell and rang it, eager to see the young captain again, especially after recent events.

A few moments later, the familiar voice of Haruhime answered.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Haruhime. This is Aiz Wallenstein. I'm here with my familia. We were hoping we could visit," she said, barely able to keep the franticness out of her voice.

"Of course!" the renard replied immediately. "I'm sure everyone will be happy to see you all."

A moment later, the gate opened allowing the Loki familia inside.

"Thank you very much," Aiz said, her eagerness now clearly heard in her voice.

Riveria smiled.

"_I can't help but wonder what she would have done had Haruhime denied her entry. I'm not sure she would have been able to restrain herself and may have simply jumped the fence,"_ she thought in amusement.

The front door opened and a smiling Haruhime greeted them with a bow.

"Good morning."

The Loki familia all returned the greeting before making their way inside where they were met with the sight of Achilles smiling at them.

"Good morning," he greeted, seeming ready to burst in excitement, not that any of them were particularly surprised by this given what they had recently learned.

"Good morning to you as well, Achilles. I hear congratulations are in order," Riveria said, overjoyed with both the news and the evident happiness it was giving the man who held her heart.

He chuckled and scratched his cheek, in a manner, Riveria noted, was identical to Bell.

"I guess you heard the news."

"Indeed we have. Bell a level five and you, the newest member of the Hestia familia, both of which came as a bit of a surprise."

His smile grew.

"I had been thinking about it for a while and after everything I realized that here," he gestured to the manor. "Was the first place that had felt like home in fifteen years. Once I figured that out it was rather easy for me to make the decision," he explained.

Riveria and Haruhime smiled brightly at that and the joy in the room was so overwhelming that even Bete was having a hard time keeping his frown on.

"I can't begin to tell you how happy that makes me. You deserve a good home and I can't think of a better place."

"I can think of one," another voice whispered.

Riveria turned and found Tiona smiling giddily at her, evidentantly trying to hold in laughter.

Realizing what the girl meant, she glared at the amazon, warning her away from her path, before shifting back to Achilles. However, he wasn't looking at her, but at Tiona, his eyes now containing a healthy dose of confusion. Feeling her eyes, he turned back to her and then, to her shock, his face began to turn red and his eyes widened before he quickly turned away, scratching his cheek again, only now it was clearly in embarrassment.

"Anyway," he quickly said. "I suspect you'll want to see Bell. He's in the back getting his bearings on his new level. Follow me."

He quickly turned and strode off, leaving behind a confused Riveria.

"Looks like Cranel was right." She turned to Finn who was now smiling quite impishly himself. "He's figured it out."

Riveria's eyes widened as she shot back to the retreating form of the Olympian.

Before she could die of embarrassment, a soft voice cooed out to her.

"Riveria-san." The elf turned towards the fox girl next to her. "All of us think you two would make a wonderful couple."

The royal elf felt like her face and ears were about to burst into flames.

"I-I." Nearly everyone chuckled.

Riveria stopped, hoping to prevent further embarrassment, and took a deep breath.

"Thank you," she finally managed, though her skin still held a fine dusting of red.

Haruhime smiled brightly at her.

"You're welcome."

Haruhime and the Loki familia quickly followed after Achilles and made their way outside.

As Achilles had said, Bell was there, moving about with his Hestia knife, slashing, jumping, and fighting invisible enemies as he got himself used to his newly acquired level.

They all watched him for a few moments, marvelling at his even greater speed, precision, and maneuverability. Everything about him indicated a first-class adventurer and it was a sight to behold for all, but none more than Aiz who, not so long ago, had felt jealous at the speed of his growth and a sense of dread at the thought that he would soon overtake her. However, she now felt none of these horrid feelings, having replaced them with a sense of pride at her part in his growth, and wonder at his ever-growing strength.

"_He's getting stronger everyday,"_ she thought as her hand subconsciously placed itself over her heart.

Feeling he had allowed his son to unknowingly show off for long enough, Achilles called out.

"Bell!"

The young captain quickly stopped and turned and, after getting over his surprise at seeing the Loki familia, smiled and began making his way over to them.

"Hi everyone, it's great to see all of-."

He did not get the chance to finish as a blur of gold flew past Achilles, launched itself at him, and proceeded to wrap itself tightly around him.

"I'm glad you're okay," Aiz said into his shoulder.

Bell was stunned into silence, as was effectively everyone else by the sudden action of the Sword Princess.

"_Well, that's a pretty obvious sign,"_ Achilles noted.

"_It is love. Unquestionably, undeniably, pure love,"_ Riveria thought, her heart swelling. "_And she finally knows it herself."_

"I-I'm… I'm sorry if I worried you," Bell said, trying to get his mind to work properly again.

Aiz pulled back and stopped Bell's heart when she smiled at him.

"There's nothing to apologize for, as long as you're alright."

Bell's brain was working overtime to try and get proper functioning back, but his heart seemed unwilling to allow this to happen. Instead, it desired to beat wildly within Bell's chest as he absorbed the sight of his object of adoration and her beautiful smile.

"_Oh gods, his brain's going to melt,"_ Achilles thought, rolling his eyes. He was about to intervene when Bell, by some miracle, finally managed a response.

"Well, I'm very happy to see you again, Aiz-san," he said, returning her smile with one of his own blinding ones.

Now it was Aiz who was stunned as his smile fried her brain and made her heart thunder in her chest.

"I-I'm… sorry I haven't visited."

Bell shook his head.

"No need to apologize. I understand," he said. Then he did something that truly surprised everyone. He took both of Aiz's hands, held them tightly between his own then, looking directly into her eyes, he said. "I promise to help you rescue your mother and defeat the Dragon, no matter what it takes. If you'll allow me."

Aiz's jaw dropped, though she wasn't quite sure why. Her familia had made the same offer not but a few days ago, yet this seemed entirely different. Perhaps it was because he had offered her his help without prodding. Perhaps it was because it was so heartfelt, pure, and honest. Or perhaps it was because it was coming from the person she now knew she saw as more than a friend.

"_I love him,"_ she finally confessed. "_I love him so much,"_ she could not stop herself from smiling. "_I just wish he felt the same. But why would he? What could he ever see in someone like me?"_

Despite her stunning lack of self-awareness and ludicrously low self-esteem on this matter, Aiz continued to smile at Bell who, as she soon found out, wasn't done yet.

"My dad promised to help us both as well, so we'll be sure to defeat it and save your mother."

That caught everyone's attention and all eyes shot to Achilles who sighed.

"Yes, I'm going to help you both defeat the Dragon. Can't say I'm eager to see it again, but I did promise."

"You'll help us defeat the Dragon?" Aiz asked, shocked.

"Yep. I'll train you to the best of my abilities. Tell you what I know and, when the time comes, I'll be right there next to you to fight it."

This was a stunning bit of information for all, including Haruhime as neither Achilles nor Bell had informed any of the Hestia familia of such intent. It put the young renard in a bit of a dilemma. On one hand, she was glad that Achilles would be beside Bell to keep him safe and help him grow stronger. She also did not fail to recognize that this was a major step forward for the man who had, not so long ago, been adamant about preventing anyone from fighting the Dragon. So, in a way, she was proud of him. Yet, she could not ever fail to recognize the terrible danger they would all be in with such a fight, nor the potential cost of such a conflict. So, in the end, she could not exactly put her support behind the idea, progress and promises be damned.

Riveria was in much the same boat. She was, naturally, still very concerned about Aiz's desire to destroy the last Great Beast, but given recent events, from Bell opening up her heart, to her familia's promise to aid the young swordsman, she had felt more at ease about the situation as, at least, Aiz wouldn't be alone. Having Bell and Achilles suddenly added to the mix eased her even more as not only was their strength a great addition to such a challenge, but both would likely add a level of restraint to her ward, pulling Aiz back from the darkness. Yet that was not the only reason Riveria was now smiling at the Olympian.

"_He really is regaining his past self. He's overcoming his fear. Pushing past it to protect something that means more to him than any amount of terror,"_ she thought, happy her not so secret love was becoming the man she knew he could be.

"Thank you," Aiz managed, after getting over her surprise.

"Don't thank me. This is my penance."

"Penance for what?" Finn asked, remembering what Riveria had told them after the explosion.

"For the stupidest, cruelest thing I've ever said," was Achilles's response.

"And that was?" Finn pressed, hoping to get more information.

"None of your business," Achilles said sternly. "I will sooner cut out my tongue then repeat those words."

The firmness of his tone made sure everyone understood he was not exaggerating.

"Dad," Bell called. "It's okay."

"No. No it's not," Achilles said, deep shame covering his features. "But, I will do better," he vowed.

Tension fell over the group for a few seconds, no one knowing quite what to do or say until Achilles decided to force on ahead.

"I think it's about time we all caught up. It has been what, a week, since we all last saw each other? And Bell wasn't a level five last time."

Bell, happy to have the subject changed, and still a bit giddy at his recent rank up, smiled.

"And you weren't a member of the Hestia familia last time they saw you," he added.

"True," Achilles said, regaining his smile.

"Yeah!" Tiona cried excitedly. "And you and I need to have a go to see what you can do now, Argonaut-kun!"

Achilles turned to Riveria and gave her a look.

"She means a spar, right?"

Riveria sighed and nodded as she rubbed her temple.

"Yes, we asked her for clarification this morning."

* * *

They all went back inside, Haruhime quickly breaking off to go inform the other members of the Hestia familia of the Loki familia's arrival.

"How have you all been? I know it hasn't been that long since we last saw each other, but it's felt like longer than a week," Bell asked.

"Things have been crazy! First, Aiz had us worried for days, running off to the Dungeon all by herself, sneaking back in at night. Then you did that thing over the city and everyone's gone crazy!" Tiona declared.

Aiz and Bell looked embarrassed, clearly feeling bad about their actions. They were joined by most of the Loki familia, though that was more due to Tiona's bluntness. The only ones who were not embarrassed were Tione due to her annoyance at her sister's lack of tact, Bete who simply rolled his eyes at the reactions, and Achilles.

"How precisely has everyone gone crazy?" he asked.

The Loki familia froze, which neither Achilles nor Bell failed to notice.

"What's going on?" Achilles pressed.

No one answered, neither wishing to, nor knowing how to answer even if they had.

"Aiz-san?" Bell called, turning to the young woman beside him, his gentle eyes asking for answers.

Aiz could not resist such a soft call, especially not with her recently admitted to feelings and his big, beautiful ruby eyes peering right at her.

"They-."

"People thought we were coming here to kill you, Rabbit."

Everyone's eyes shot to Bete who was staring at Bell, arms crossed.

"Everyone's freaked out after that explosion you set off," Bete continued, ignoring everyone's reaction. "Probably doesn't help that there's a rumor you killed your old man."

"Bete," Finn called, his tone full of disapproval.

"What? They needed to know. If they didn't the Rabbit might walk into some stupid trap by set by some cowardly idiots," the werewolf bit back.

Most of them recognized the truth and wisdom of this, but that didn't mean they were exactly approving of the blunt method their comrade had used. Riveria, especially was concerned, given who was beside her.

Turning her gaze, she found an unquestionably irate Olympian, his face turning red in rage, and his knuckles bone white as he tried to restrain himself.

"Achilles," she quickly called, hoping to prevent an outburst, going so far as to place a hand against his arm.

He snapped to her, his burning sapphires connecting with her concerned emeralds. After a few moments of staring into her understanding eyes, he managed to reign himself in, take a deep breath, and calm down.

"Fucking idiots," he growled.

Glad he had managed to stop himself from losing control, she smiled at him and nodded.

"Yes. Fear has a tendency to make people quite foolish."

"Isn't that why we have bravery?" Achilles shot back.

"Not everyone can be brave like you, Achilles," she countered.

"I refuse to believe that. Makes life too depressing."

She laughed, but soon noticed that the room was oddly quiet. Turning away from the man next to her, she quickly understood why.

Everyone else had, naturally, taken notice of the angry father and were also concerned about his temper. However, seeing the motherly elf handle the situation and then proceed to fall into her own little world with the object of her affections was something they all couldn't help but enjoy, except Bete of course who remained, well, Bete.

Seeing that they now had an audience, Riveria blushed and pulled back her hand that she had only just realized was still on his arm.

The quick action caught Achilles's attention and he looked at Riveria. Seeing her red face and the fact she was focused elsewhere, he turned and was soon blushing himself as he realized what was going on.

"_Oh gods,"_ he thought, seeing Bell's pleased smile. "_I'm about to be teased by my own son."_

Luckily for the embarrassed duo, the rest of the Hestia familia decided now was the proper moment to make their appearance.

"Good morning, everyone," the goddess greeted.

"Morning, Hestia-sama," they all returned.

Hestia, as was natural to her, zoned in on Bell and, upon seeing that Aiz was right next to him, actually pressing up against his side, immediately lost her smile.

"What is this?!" she yelled, rushing over to Bell and Aiz.

She tried to separate the two, but was shocked when she discovered that Aiz was actually holding onto Bell's arm and was stubbornly resisting any attempt to part from him.

"Why are you clinging to my Bell-kun?!"

That piqued everyone's interest as all, including evidentantly Bell himself, had failed to notice the extraordinary closeness of the young woman.

However, before they all had the chance to react, they got a little surprise from said young woman.

"Because I want to," she answered simply.

The sight that emerged from that blunt reply should have been immortalized in a painting.

Hestia's mouth dropped so low that saying it hit the floor was a vast understatement. More accurately it appeared to have buried itself in the foundations of the manor, the other ladies of Hestia familia vying for Bell's affections did not seem so gobsmacked. This was not because they were not in shock themselves, but because, after their own talks with Achilles, they had all vowed to redouble their efforts to win their snow-haired captain. Mikoto and Welf were also quite surprised, but the brotherly smith was soon smiling, happy that his little brother was winning the girl of his dreams, while Mikoto, also smiling, wished Bell luck.

The Loki familia was awash with different reactions. Lefiya was heartbroken, as expected, with Tiona having to quickly go over and soothe her, even as she herself smiled and internally cheered for the two. Tione was a bit stunned by the statement, but quickly shrugged it off, deciding to simply be happy for her fellow familia member. Bete was surprised enough to show it, but only for a few moments, before rolling his eyes and quietly letting out a 'finally'. Finn and Gareth were as surprised as the rest, though both quickly switched over to pleased, even as they mused over how different their Sword Princess was not long ago.

Then came the 'Mama of Loki familia'. Only words of happiness would be proper for the elf. Overjoyed. Merry. Relieved. Maybe even ecstatic. It was a simple thing, she knew, but it spoke so much.

"_She's found her one, and more importantly, she's trying to win his heart."_

Achilles watched this scene quite differently from the others. Oh sure, what Aiz said was a bit of a surprise, but it left him more confused than anything else.

"Did I miss something?" he whispered into Riveria's ear.

She turned to him, smiling brightly.

"She knows her feelings now. She knows she loves him," she whispered back.

He looked at her for a few moments before following Bete's example and rolling his eyes.

"Took her long enough."

Riveria laughed lightly and nodded in agreement before they both turned back to the scene.

Of course, the unknown object of affection himself must not be overlooked, and the face of Bell Cranel after having heard Aiz's words was easily worth a million valis.

Eyes so wide one might fear they would pop out of his skull. Mouth open and utterly unable to speak. Body frozen so still he did not even breathe, the only thing that moved was his blood, which had one destination in mind. His face.

Tomatoes, strawberries, and the color red itself were all jealous of how red Bell's face became within moments of hearing his beloved's words. The poor boy looked ready to explode and Achilles was actually worried that with so much blood rushing to his face that it would require an outlet such as his nose or ears.

Luckily for Bell's health, but not so luckily for his unanswered feelings, his goddess snapped out of her stupor and, with burning eyes, decided to forcefully renew her claim on her captain.

"He's mine!" she declared, jumping on to his head, wrapping herself around him and pulling him as hard as she could from the Sword Princess.

"H-Hestia-sama!" the young man cried.

Aiz, surprised by the sudden move, lost her grip on her self-confessed object of affection and watched as he, losing his balance, fell over with his goddess.

Numerous members of the Hestia familia sighed or showed obvious signs of embarrassment, while a few members of the Loki familia laughed at the display. Aiz however, looking down at her now empty hand, then to Bell, suddenly gained a look of fierce determination.

"Ow," Bell said, sitting up, now free of his goddess. Before he could make sense of his situation however, he found his hand grabbed and himself pulled up to his feet before being wrapped in warmth that he realized only after a few moments, was coming from Aiz's arms, now protectively holding him.

"Please don't do that," she said, looking down at Hestia.

Once more, as everyone reeled in surprise by the previously out-of-character action of the blonde maiden, Bell's face burst into flaming red as he took in the warmth and softness of the girl now firmly holding him who just so happened to be the love of his life.

"_What's going on?!"_ he thought as his eyes began to spin.

Hestia, slack-jawed at what she was now witnessing the Wallenstein girl was doing with her Bell, soon jumped to her feet with wrathful eyes, preparing to do battle.

A sudden clap of thunder stopped everything and everyone, their ears ringing, turned to find Achilles with his hands together looking down on all of them.

"Have you all had breakfast yet?" he asked nonchalantly.

Riveria, despite being the closest to the clap, recovered first and, understanding what he was trying to, smiled and replied.

"We have."

"Hm, then perhaps a small brunch while we catch up on the last week or so," he suggested.

"That sounds lovely," she agreed.

"Wonderful. Haruhime," Achilles called, catching the renard's attention and charging ahead to make sure no one stopped his attempt to change the subject. "Would you mind helping me decide what we should make for our guests."

"Oh...um. Absolutely!" she said, still a bit confused by what was going on, but her natural proclivity ensuring she was always happy to help.

"Thank you. Why don't you all head towards the dining area while we prepare and begin catching up with each other?" Achilles suggested to the others.

Riveria, taking advantage of their confusion, answered for the rest.

"We'll do that."

Achilles and Haruhime departed, leaving the others confused, which allowed Riveria to shepherd them to the dining area, making sure to both shield Aiz and Bell from the others and ensure they stayed exactly as close as they were, to the point where she all but forced them down into the seats next to each other, before seating herself on the other side of Bell to ensure no one, namely a certain goddess, would take it and get in the way of the young adventurers' blooming relationship. She had to admit though, the glare she received from the goddess was quite intimidating.

Achilles and Haruhime soon returned with the ingredients for their brunch, the older man deciding on his famous pancakes, which soon proved to be a hit with the Loki familia with Tiona placing a tower of the syrup-covered goodness on her plate.

The two familias caught up with each other, with an interesting assortment of conversations occurring. Welf had taken the other spot next to Riveria in order to protect her from the ladies of his familia and had begun talking quite animatedly with her about magic and magic weapons. He had, truthfully, planned on placing himself next to Aiz, but Lefiya had quite literally run to the spot next to the Sword Princess and had tried desperately to get her to focus on her instead of her love rival. Failing that, she had grown more depressed until Ryuu, who had placed herself next to her fellow elf, gently called out to her.

"Don't give up."

Snapping her head to the lioness, should gave her a confused look.

"If you feel deeply for the Sword Princess, don't give up on her. Keep trying, just as I will keep trying."

Lefiya wasn't quite sure what she meant by that last part, but she felt her spirit begin to stir. Maybe it was because the words were spoken so confidentantly, or maybe it was because Ryuu was an elf herself, while being majestic, powerful, and beautiful enough for Lefiya to blush, but whatever the reason, her confidence soon returned and a confident smile grew on her lips.

"I won't," she swore.

Ryuu smiled back.

"Good. We all must try."

Next to Ryuu was Mikoto who was now speaking with Gareth.

"I always considered my skills in ninjutsu to be dishonorable, but with the help of the others I have been able to accept them," she said.

"As you should. There's nothing wrong in using the skills available to you to overcome a challenge and especially not to protect your friends. And I can already tell you are one of the most honorable people in Orario, Mikoto-san, so don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

The young easterling blushed, but smiled and nodded.

Further down the table, Tione had made sure to put herself between Finn and Lili, forcing her sister to take his other side so there was no chance the two prums could speak, which was not missed by the Loki captain who laughed nervously. However, once Tione noticed Lili the hint of longing in the prum's eyes when she shifted towards Bell, her feelings towards the prum lady changed.

"You love him, don't you?" she questioned quietly.

Lili, a bit surprised by suddenly being addressed by the amazon who had only ever looked at her with jealousy or bloodlust. Initially, she thought she meant Finn, but seeing the amazon gesture towards Bell, she understood what she meant and nodded.

"Lili does. Very much, and she won't just let the Sword Princess take him," she swore.

Lili was soon thoroughly surprised when the amazon smiled at her.

"Aiz is a part of my familia, but I'll root for you from the sidelines," she whispered.

Lili didn't know what to say.

"T-Thank you," she finally managed.

"No problem. Give him hell," Tione cheered.

Lili nodded and turned back to her food, as Tione focused on Aiz.

"_Sorry Aiz, but I need to make sure my own rival doesn't steal my man."_

Hestia was, by far, doing the worst of the ladies present. Her anger at seeing Aiz latch onto her Bell-kun, then effectively steal him away from her had caused her blood to boil.

"_And things were going so well with her off in the Dungeon. Bell needed me to comfort him, reaffirmed me as his goddess and even punched one of Freya's children for me! Grr, you'll pay for this Aiz Wallen-whatisit!"_ she vowed to herself.

Off in the kitchen, Haruhime watched everyone with a smile, though her eyes always strayed back to a certain blonde swordsman and a snow-haired captain. Yet, despite this, her smile never wavered and her eyes showed not a hint of sadness or concern, only resilience.

"_I won't give up. Even if Bell-sama's feelings are returned I will always be there for him and give him all my love."_

However all of this, from the promise between the two elf maidens to the vengeful eyes of the loli goddess, were all completely ignored by two individuals who were so engrossed with each other that it was honestly a wonder that neither of the two loveable fools had figured out how the one next to them felt.

"I really can't tell you how happy I am to see you again, Aiz-san," Bell said, unknowingly whispering to the young woman, ensuring only she heard him.

"I'm glad to see you too, Bell," Aiz returned, also whispering. "I was worried after that explosion and wanted very much to see you."

The blush that had taken up near permanent residence on his face grew.

"I'm sorry I worried you."

The blush somehow grew even greater when Aiz grabbed his hand with both of hers and brought her head to within a couple of inches of his.

"I'm sorry too. I retreated back into my hatred and left you behind. I promise I won't ever do that again," she swore.

Bell had difficulty responding, his embarrassment and more importantly, his joy, practically causing him to burst. So instead, he opted to give his absolutely best smile stunning the Sword Princess.

She brought a hand to her heart, feeling it beat wildly in her chest, now finally understanding what it meant and how long the feelings within her had been there.

"_I really do love him, and I have for so long, not knowing it,"_ she thought, smiling. "_Now if only he felt the same."_

"I promise too," Bell finally managed, snapping her back to reality before sending her right back into her own adoring state as she realized what he meant.

"Thank you, Bell."

Unbeknownst to the two love-struck, everyone had been watching them for some time, having noticed when Aiz had taken his hands, and were watching with their normal reactions, Hestia threatening to break the table under the pressure of her enraged grip.

Achilles, seeing the display, rolled his eyes so hard it was a wonder they didn't spin out of his head.

"_How are these two so dense?"_

Deciding to bring them back to reality and prevent Hestia or the other girls from ripping Aiz's heart out of her chest, intervened.

"Anyone want more pancakes?" he said, far louder than necessary.

Aiz and Bell jumped and spun around, luckily saved from discovering their audience by the fact that the call had caught everyone else's attention as well.

Naturally, it was Riveria who recovered first and smiled at him.

"I think we're alright," she answered. "And I'm glad to say that your pancakes were as good as I remember them."

"Ah, that's just nostalgia talking, but I appreciate the compliment nonetheless."

Riveria laughed.

"You know I'm not the kind to give false praise, Achilles."

"I suppose that is true," he responded, smiling.

Now everyone's attention was on the other potential couple and more than a few smiles were directed their way, perhaps none brighter than Bell and Aiz.

Feeling eyes on them, the two veteran adventurers turned their gazes and found everyone staring at them, many with smiles, a few of which were teasing.

Both now knowing precisely why everyone was smiling, instantly blushed and turned away, looking for some excuse.

"Well, if no one wants anymore, then I'll put these away," Achilles blurted out, quickly leaving with pancakes in hand.

The Olympian now gone, everyone shifted towards the other part of the duo, who was blushing terribly.

"So," Tiona said, dragging out the word. "Feel like confessing now?"

Riveria's ears burned and she could practically feel the interest in the room increase.

"Oh, when did a confession get put on the table?" Finn asked.

"It didn't," Riveria quickly said.

"We were talking about it when we went out shopping a few days ago," Tiona answered her captain.

"You brought it up and I shot it down immediately," the elf threw back.

"Now's as good of a time as any," Finn stated, smiling the whole time.

Riveria glared at him.

"I will not be pressured into this!" she stated firmly.

"Alright, alright, leave the poor lady alone, she'll confess when she's ready to," Gareth said, coming to her defense, though smiling himself.

"Boo," Tiona complained.

As Riveria recovered from her embarrassment, Achilles, who was leaning against the wall in the hall, was trying to calm his heart and stop the burning in his cheeks.

"Shit," he breathed, having heard everything. "I was really hoping Welf was pulling my leg."

* * *

"Thank you for coming, Aiz-san," Bell said, happily holding her hands as the said their goodbyes.

"I just wanted to see you," was her simple reply, too focused on the object of her affections to say anything else.

"Yeah, we got that," Bete said, feeling like he was going to spew pancakes if this sickenly sweet display continued.

"Thank you for having us," Riveria said.

"Of course. I don't think we would have been able to keep you out even if we wanted to," Achilles noted.

The motherly elf chuckled.

"Probably not."

"Well, with everything back to normal, or as normal as it can be, we'll have to find a time we can all meet up again for training," Finn stated.

Aiz and Bell beamed at the idea of seeing each other again, earning the irritation of numerous individuals from both familia.

"I'm sure we'll be able to work out something, but a few things need to be dealt with first, though they shouldn't take too long," the Olympian replied.

"Don't keep us waiting too long or else Tiona's going to come crashing in one of these days since she didn't get her spar today," Finn joked.

"You better believe it!" the amazon cried.

"Noted," Achilles said.

With that, the two familias parted, Bell and Aiz sharing one last look with each other, before the gates closed and the young captain turned around, finding a goddess glaring at him with the fire of a thousand burning suns.

"Be~ll~ku~n!"

Before he could react he found his goddess once more on his head, suffocating him in her chest.

"Why were you so lovey-dovey with Aiz Wallen-whatisit!?" she roared.

"H-Hestia-sama! Please stop doing this!" he pleaded.

"No! Not until you know you're mine and mine alone, Bell-kun!" she cried.

The rest of the Hestia familia watched with a mixture of amusement and embarrassment as the poor boy was practically brought to his knees by his overzealous goddess.

"Alright, I think we've given our neighbors enough of a show," Achilles said, pulling the goddess off of Bell.

Depositing the angry deity down, Achilles then helped his son up, earning an appreciative look.

"Come on. Let's go discuss our plans for today," the ex-captain said.

Bell nodded and everyone turned to head back inside, if only begrudgingly in Hestia's case. However, Bell only got a few paces when he noticed something in the distance.

"_I know that owl."_

"I'll join you all in a minute," he said suddenly, causing everyone to turn to him.

"Why?" Achilles asked.

"There's something I need to check," was Bell's response.

Confused, everyone looked at each other, but eventually shrugged or nodded.

"Alright," Achilles relented. "Just don't be too long."

"I won't," the Hestia captain said before running off towards the owl and the meeting he knew awaited him.

The owl, upon seeing his approach, took flight, Bell following after it until he reached a shaded enclave within the manor. A moment later, a familiar hooded figure appeared.

"Hello Fels-san," Bell greeted. "How can I help you? Has something happened to Wiene and the others?" he asked, worry entering his voice.

"No, everyone is fine," Fels responded with his usual strange voice. "I came here for two reasons. Firstly, I did investigate the monster you asked about. It was indeed a Xenos. Lyd and the others were in the process of recruiting them, but had failed to overcome their hatred of adventurers, causing the incident you saw," he explained.

Bell nodded solemnly.

"Thank you for telling me. And the other reason?" he asked.

"It has come to Ouranos-sama's attention that Achilles has joined your familia. Is that true?"

Bell, getting a bit of his happiness back, smiled and nodded.

"Yes it is."

"I see. Then, a follow-up question. Do you intend to inform him about Wiene and the other Xenos?"

Bell fell silent, the sudden realization that with his father's joining of the Hestia familia he had the right to know about the Xenos. Indeed, given the promise they had all given to be honest with each other, it was demanded that he be informed.

"_But how will he react?"_ Bell wondered. "_Will he defend them and help them with their dream? Will he be scared? Will he,"_ he didn't want to finish the thought, but couldn't help but ask the question. "_Will he want to destroy them?"_

He quickly shook those thoughts out of his head.

"_No. I need to trust him."_

Resolved, he focused back on Fels.

"Yes. He is a part of this familia and we all swore not to keep secrets."

Fels nodded.

"I understand. I shall inform Ouranos-sama," he turned to leave, but paused. "Do you think he will accept them?"

Bell's response was instant.

"I trust him."

Again, Fels nodded.

"Then I'm sure we can as well. You haven't given us any reason to believe otherwise. If anything, you have gone far beyond what anyone, even a god, could ask of you."

Bell smiled.

"I want to help them fulfill their dream. To one day see the sun without fear of the people on the surface."

Had he been able to, Fels would have smiled.

"Yet again you reaffirm my faith in you, Bell Cranel. I shall inform Ouranos-sama immediately of your decision. If you need anything, just tell us."

"Thank you, Fels-san."

With the shadowy figure now gone, Bell took a breath then made his way back inside.

Arriving in the living room, he found the others discussing their plans for today.

"Ah, Bell, there you are. We were all in agreement to head to the Dungeon and head to at least floor twenty to bring in a good haul. Sound good to you?" Achilles asked.

"Actually Dad, do you mind if I speak with everyone else for a moment?"

Everyone looked at him with baffled expressions.

"What do you need to talk about with everyone else? I'm not being evicted already am I?" he asked, semi-jokingly.

"No. Nothing like that, it's just…" he didn't like being secretive with the older adventurer, but he needed to speak with the others first. As such, he decided to be as honest as he could be at the moment. "Just like the Zeus and Hera familia had secrets, so do we, and there's one in particular I want you to know, but I need to check with everyone else first before we tell you given how important it is."

It did not take long for the others to figure out what Bell meant and they all tensed a bit as realizing the subject matter.

Achilles, for his part, was more confused than ever, and just a tad hurt. He hoped he had their complete trust, but he understood that some things were too important to simply blindly jump into.

"_And I can't say I've been completely trustworthy. Even now I'm keeping secrets from them, so it's not like I have the right to complain."_

Realizing this, Achilles soon nodded, readily accepting the situation.

"Okay. That's fair. Some things can't be revealed without real deliberation. I understand that better than most. I'll be outside. If you want to tell me, wonderful. If not, no hard feelings."

"Thanks, Dad," Bell said, guilty eyes staring at the ex-captain.

Achilles gave him a full smile and ruffled his hair.

"Don't worry about it Bell. Besides, I haven't had the chance to smoke today, so this just gives me the opportunity."

Achilles departed, leaving the rest of Hestia familia to address the issue at hand.

"Wiene-san?" Haruhime asked.

Bell nodded.

"I just talked with Fels. He came to tell me that the monster we saw on the eighteenth floor was a Xenos that Lyd and the others failed to recruit." Everyone nodded, having expected that. "But the main reason was to ask if we were going to tell Achilles about the Xenos."

The room fell silent as everyone thought about this and the possible implications.

"Do you think he'll accept them, Bell-kun?" Hestia asked.

"I trust him," he responded. "He did seem disturbed by the Xenos he killed, but that might just be because he hasn't seen them before and was shocked. If we explain things to him I think he'll be open to them."

"But what if he's not?" Lili questioned, asking what everyone was thinking.

"If he's not," Bell responded slowly, his knuckles turning white. "Then I ask him to at least not get in their way. Even if he doesn't like the idea of the Xenos or want to help them with their dream, he won't deny a personal request from me. So, at worst, it just means that one more person knows about them."

It wasn't the best plan, but it also wasn't the worst. Everyone knew how deeply Achilles cared for his adoptive son. A personal request from the young man would be effectively impossible for him to ignore, even if he hated the very idea of the Xenos.

"Then I'm for it," Welf said. "We all swore to tell the truth, the whole truth, to each other. Besides, one look at Wiene's cute face and he won't even think of not helping them."

Smiles started to reappear at that, Bell smiling at his brother figure before turning to everyone else.

"Then we're all agreed."

Everyone nodded.

"We're all agreed," Hestia stated.

"Great! I'll go get him."

Bell ran towards the back, quickly finding the Olympian outside the door, contently smoking his pipe.

"You can come back inside," he said, smiling.

"I hope that smile is a good sign," Achilles replied, putting out his pipe.

"It is."

The two captains made their way back to the others, Achilles checking the looks on everyone's faces, noticing the mixture of excitement, anticipation, and worry.

"So," he said, clapping his hands. "What's the verdict?"

"You might want to sit down, Achilles-kun. This is probably going to come as a bit of a shock," Hestia said.

"Alright," he responded, checking everyone one last time. "If you guys say it's shocking then this should be quite interesting."

He sat down and waited for them to begin and, after a moment, Bell took a deep breath and did just that.

* * *

With each passing moment, Achilles's knuckles turned more and more pale and his breathing got heavier and heavier as the secret of Hestia familia was revealed. Finally, when his heart felt like it would burst from his chest and he would drown in his own sweat, Bell finished.

"So…" Achilles began. "There are...intelligent...monsters?"

No one failed to notice how increasing uneasy Achilles had become over the explanation and their own worry had amplified along with his, each one of them understanding that something terrible was happening below the surface.

"Y-Yes," Bell managed.

"And you've...befriended them?" Achilles pressed on, his nails now biting into his skin.

"Yes," Bell continued, doing his best to remain calm in the face of the clearly negative reaction before him.

"One of whom, this...Wiene...effectively became an honorary member of this familia to the point that you fought an Evilus, confronted the Loki familia, and effectively fought the entire city, multiple times, to rescue her and the others?"

Everyone's hearts were thundering in their chests.

Bell swallowed.

"Yes."

The room fell silent. No one daring to speak or even move, besides Achilles who brought his hand to his mouth and bit one of his fingers.

"_The nightmare is real. All these years, trying to deny it. All these years, needing to pretend it wasn't real and yet," _he bit down hard enough to draw blood. "_Now it is. Undeniably so."_

"Dad?"

He looked up, seeing Bell staring at him with fearful eyes.

"I know this must be shocking, but I swear they're good people. Lyd. Gros. All of them. And Wiene," he smiled. "She's so sweet and kind. She saved a child. She protected me from Aiz. She's good. She's not like the monsters you've faced. I promise."

Achilles stared at his son for what seemed like an eternity for both of them. Bell pushing forward all his hope while Achilles tried to find even a hint of falsity.

"_There is none,"_ Achilles finally admitted. "_This is the truth. Or, at least his truth. But does it matter? If he trusts them, isn't that enough?"_

Achilles finally pulled away from Bell's gaze and sighed.

"I cannot say I'm comfortable with this new information," he said, the Hestia familia sharing a few concerned looks. "However, I trust you. All of you, and if you say that they can be trusted, I'll accept that." Everyone's fear evaporated and they looked ready to cry out in excitement when he suddenly held up a finger. "On one condition."

"Name it," Bell said.

Achilles looked Bell directly in the eyes, his own eyes as serious as death.

"I want to meet them."

* * *

Done! Whew, I am so so so sorry that took so long. I didn't expect it to, but I had major writer's block with that midsection and just got completely stuck. In fact, I got stuck for so long that I actually cut the chapter short. This should have included way more, but I thought you all had waited long enough, and this seemed like a good enough place to stop, cliff-hanger and all.

Anyway, enough excuses. Please, tell me what you all thought. I was REALLY happy with all the reviews for the last chapter. Your kind words and pieces of wise criticism were greatly appreciated and I really hope to continue hearing back from all of you, so please, share your thoughts with me.

With that, I'll sign off so, until next time, bye for now.


	25. Chapter 25

Hello good people and welcome back. Well, it's finally time to find out what happens when Achilles meets Wiene and the others, so let's hop right into it.

I do not own Danmachi

* * *

Achilles checked over his gear once again, making sure he had everything he could ever want for the little 'visit' they were about to have with their Dungeon residing friends.

_Friends,_ he thought as his frown deepened. _We'll see about that._

Bell and the others all watched him with unabashedly concerned eyes.

"Bell-sama, do you really think this is a good idea?" Lili whispered, asking what she knew everyone was thinking.

"We need to trust him. He's probably just nervous and confused," the Hestia captain replied, doing his best to sound optimistic, even smiling at her, though neither she nor the rest of his familia was convinced by the obviously forced movement of his lips.

"I hope so, Bell-sama," the prum maiden replied, truly meaning it even as worry about the upcoming meeting ate at her heart.

"Alright," Achilles called. "Ready to go."

Bell and the others nodded, placing whatever came next in the hands of hope.

"Then let's head out," Bell replied. "We'll be back soon Hestia-sama."

His goddess smiled and nodded.

"Stay safe everyone. This may just be a visit but you'll still be travelling through the Dungeon, so make sure to keep your eyes and ears open."

"All our senses will be on full alert," Achilles said seriously.

The firmness in his voice caused the worry everyone was feeling to weigh even more heavily, but Bell still tried to force ahead with a smile.

"That's right. We'll be careful, Hestia-sama," he told his goddess.

Giving her best smile back, the goddess nodded.

"Then off you go, no need to keep Wiene and the others waiting."

"Right! Let's get going!" Bell called out and within moments the Hestia familia was filling out of Hearthfire Manor towards the Dungeon and the Xenos.

The moment the door closed behind her children, Hestia lost her smile.

"Please Achilles-kun, don't let whatever is weighing on your soul cause your heart to turn against them."

* * *

The Hestia familia made their way through the streets of Orario without a word, no one sure what exactly they could say or even if they should speak at all. Instead they focused on the member of their familia who they knew was keeping silent about something, but to which they neither knew nor were willing to inquire about.

Achilles knew they all wanted to ask him what was weighing on his mind, Bell especially, and truth be told, he did feel guilty about worrying them so much. He did trust them, Bell especially, but he could not hide how deep his anxiety ran with regards to these 'Xenos'.

_Things will be alright. Bell and the others trust them, hell this 'Wiene' is apparently even a member of Hestia familia, at least spiritually, there's nothing to worry about. They aren't...him._

His attempts at convincing himself weren't working and he knew that only by meeting and seeing Wiene, Lyd, and the other Xenos, would his mind finally be at ease, if that was even possible. Luckily for him, he gained a distraction when he noticed the looks being sent towards their group, most notably, Bell.

_The wolf was telling the truth,_ he recognized as he saw the fear and hostility in the eyes of those they passed. _They truly do think he's a monster._

The hand on his sword tightened and he began to glare at those around them, daring them to try anything. Given his current state of mind even an unkind word might have very well set him off like a volcano.

"Dad."

He blinked and turned to see the terribly concerned eyes of Bell staring up at him.

"Are you alright?" he asked as gently as he could.

Realizing he had exasperated the matter of Bell's worry and, a quick check later, the worry of the rest of their familia, he stopped and took a breath.

"The people around us are being idiots."

Confused, Bell looked around. Most, he found, weren't looking their way, though he couldn't fail to notice that many seemed to quickly turn away once his eyes focused on them. However, a few were looking their way, or should he say, his way.

He was shocked when he saw the fear and more concerningly, the rage pointed his way. For a moment, his confusion only deepened as he wondered what could possibly have caused such animosity to be sent his way, but then he remembered what Bete had said the previous day.

_They're scared of me, because of what I did,_ he realized, his heart feeling heavier.

"Bell." He looked up. "Don't let those fools make you feel bad for even a second," his father stated firmly.

Despite the situation and the fact that the newest member of the Hestia familia was clearly trying to keep control of his anger, Bell smiled.

"That goes for you too, Dad."

Achilles looked at him for a moment before huffing.

"Fine, but if any of them try anything, I'll use them as a training dummy."

Bell chuckled.

"Alright."

Content with that, Achilles turned back towards the Dungeon, Bell and the rest of the Hestia familia, who were glad that whatever was going on was apparently resolved, following after.

* * *

Freya stared down at her dearly beloved with euphoria, smiling adoringly as she focused on the one who held the greatest amount of her affection.

_Oh Bell, you just keep finding new, wonderful ways of surprising me,_ she thought as he remembered the news of his reaching level five. _An upper-class adventurer in less than a year, how do you do it?_ She wondered, sighing happily as the intensity of her eyes grew. _Then again,_ she turned her gaze. _You're not the only one proving to be full of surprises._

Her eyes were focused on Achilles who she had noticed seemed quite tense.

_I wonder what has been dear Olympian so ill-at-ease._

As if to answer her, his gaze shifted and she turned her gaze to follow, soon discovering the looks directed towards the Hestia familia, in particular, her dear rabbit.

She lost her smile.

_What is the meaning of this?_ being who she was, it did not take her long to think of the reason, and she frowned. _They fear him. His power. In their mediocrity they turn against the exceptional and become hostile,_ her frown deepened. _Fools._

"Freya-sama."

She turned.

"What is it, Ottar?"

"A letter has come for you from the Guild. I was told it was urgent."

"Oh?" her interest was piqued.

She went over to her captain and took the letter and opened it before quickly reading it.

Her smile returned.

"Well now, isn't this interesting?"

* * *

They had made their way through the Dungeon, successfully making it all the way to level 20 without any issue.

"Fels-san said he would meet us around here," Bell said.

"And this Fels is someone trustworthy?" Achilles asked.

"Yes," the Hestia captain answered with a nod. "He's helped us a lot and I'd even call him a friend."

"Hm," Achilles responded, still stuck between trusting Bell and being his concern with everything that was happening.

"He works for Ouranos-sama directly and is pretty mysterious, but Bell-sama is right in that we can trust him," Lili added, noting his distrust.

"I'm glad you think so, Lili-san."

Everyone turned to the voice, and a moment later, a cloaked figure appeared out of the shadows.

"You snuck up on me. Not a lot of people can do that," Achilles said, clearly not pleased.

"It wasn't easy. Your skills are legendary and I had to use every trick in the book just to make sure that I could both watch all of you and make sure you weren't followed," Fels explained.

"I'm guessing since you're here that means we weren't," Achilles replied.

"Indeed. Beyond the standard, curious eye, no one followed you or showed any abnormal interest."

"Which means we can meet these...Xenos?"

No one failed to notice that the continued strain in Achilles's voice, but even so, Fels nodded.

"Indeed. I warned them we were coming ahead of time, so that no one would be alarmed. Wiene-san was very happy at the prospect."

Bell and the others smiled.

"I'm happy that we get to see her again too," the young captain said.

"Then let us not daly, we wouldn't want to keep her waiting," Fels said.

The Hestia familia followed after Fels, a bit anxious, but eager and optimistic to see everyone again.

"I hope Wiene has been doing alright," Haruhime said.

"I'm sure she has been. She has Lyd and the others with her after all," Bell responded.

"You're right. Even so, it will be wonderful to see her again. I've missed her terribly."

"So have I," he responded, turning to give her a smile.

Haruhime blushed lightly, but happily returned the smile in full.

Off to the side, Achilles watched the exchange with interest.

"They were the closest to Wiene," Welf explained. "When she was with us, she was practically attached at the hip to those two."

"Is that so?" Achilles asked.

_That's a bit of a relief. If she was so attached to them, and they to her then that goes a long way of easing my concern, at least with regards to Wiene._

His eyes shifted to something, or someone who hadn't eased his concerns. In fact, with each breath he took, his concerns grew and his eyes narrowed more.

"What are you?"

Everyone stopped.

"Pardon?" Fels asked.

"My heightened senses allow me to detect many things. The smell of sweat and someone's heartbeat, for example, both of which I've noticed you curiously lack. In their place, I smell dry bone and the sound of air passing by said dry bone. So, I'll ask again. What. Are. You?"

Nervous glances were passed between the members of the Hestia familia.

"Dad, we can trust Fels. He's helped us, Wiene, and the Xenos so much. Without him, Wiene wouldn't be here and I'm not just saying that. If it wasn't for him, she would be dead. She," Bell's voice cracked. "She would be nothing but dust in my hands."

The sound of Bell's voice cracking, pulled Achilles back, unable to bear the sound of the young man in pain, and turmoil entered his eyes as he tried to figure out what to do.

"It's alright, Bell-san," Fels cut in, causing everyone to turn to him. "He is right to ask. He does not know me and this situation would be unnerving even for the most open-minded and resilient adventurer. Besides, you have put your trust in me many times, and Achilles-san is putting his trust in me right now. It is time I repaid that trust." Fels turned to Achilles. "I apologize in advance."

Achilles's eyes narrowed for the split second between the cloaked figure saying that and reaching to up to pull back his hood.

"Well," Achilles said, taking in the skeletal sight before him. "Can't say I was expecting that."

"You're taking it better than most," Fels responded. "But to answer your question I was, at one point, a mortal and adventurer like you. I was known as the Sage or the Fool and have been alive for many centuries courtesy of a stone that gave me immortality, though as you can see, not in the way I had hoped."

"You're the Sage? The famous mage from eight hundred years ago?" Achilles questioned.

"Yes. Due to my circumstances I can't live as most would and so serve Ouranos-sama who has seen fit to bring me into his service. I have been serving as the point of contact between Ouranos-sama and the Xenos since they were first discovered fifteen years ago."

"They first appeared fifteen years ago?" Achilles asked.

"Yes."

"You're sure it was fifteen years ago?" Achilles quickly pressed.

"Completely. I have been exploring the Dungeon for many years and I did not discover a single trace of the Xenos until fifteen years ago," Fels confirmed.

_Damnit,_ Achilles mentally cursed. _Then that points in only one direction._

"Fine then," he said, temporarily disregarding his worried thoughts. "You're a skeleton. A famous talking one. Strange as that is for most people I'm not sure that even enters my top three."

Everyone blinked, if they could. Achilles was really taking this well.

"Really? I am curious what those three things are," Fels said.

"Perhaps I'll tell you in the future, however I do believe we still have an appointment to keep with the one thing that might be stranger than you that I'll come across today."

Surprised though they were, the Hestia familia was more than happy with the outcome, given they were not sure how Achilles would react given his already on-edge state. The easiness of his acceptance to what would have stunned most others was, therefore, not a small relief.

"Of course. They're not much further now," Fels said, putting his hood back on and restarting their trek through the Dungeon.

The Hestia familia followed after, but Bell made sure to place himself next to Achilles.

"Thanks Dad."

Achilles turned to his smiling son, but couldn't find it in himself to smile.

"You don't need to thank me, Bell, I just don't want to be in the dark about this, and I can't honestly tell you I'm no longer anxious about all this."

Bell lost his smile, but nodded.

"I understand. But I promise, once you meet them you'll understand that they're good people."

_'People', he says,_ Achilles thought, not sure what to make of that.

"I'll put my trust in you then."

Smiling again, Bell ran towards the front of the group, now more excited to see Wiene and the others.

* * *

The new hidden village of the Xenos had been moved deeper into the Dungeon since the events on the surface, forcing the Hestia familia to delve to level thirty for the first time as a whole, a fact that made the less experienced members a bit nervous. However, remembering they had with them a famous level seven captain, two levels five, and a shadowy figure who regularly moved through the Dungeon at will, they calmed.

Likely it was this mixture of factors that made reaching level thirty almost a walk in the park, a fact that Lili was resoundingly grateful for, alongside the grand haul they had managed along the way.

"This way," Fels said, leading them through the level.

The Hestia familia followed and soon came to what appeared to be a dead-end. Fels walked forward and with a few words and a flourish of his hand, the dead-end disappeared, showing a narrow passageway.

"It would probably be best if Bell-san takes the lead and for you to wait here for a moment, Achilles-san, until we can make sure that everyone is calm and ready," Fels suggested.

"Very well," Achilles assented. "I'll wait here until you call me."

_Gives me time to prepare myself for what I'm about to see,_ he thought.

"Alright. We'll be right back," Bell said before he and the others went their way inside.

He proceeded slowly, just to make sure that he didn't startle anyone inside. Even if they knew they were coming, as Fels said, he didn't want anyone frightened unnecessarily.

Finally entering a dark space, he looked around, seeing if he could discern anything before calling out.

"Hello? Wiene? Lyd? Ray? Gros?" he called.

He suddenly found himself blinded as light filled this room. He didn't have much time to adjust as a body crashed into him, nearly causing him to fall over.

"Bell!"

Recognizing the voice instantly, he looked down and found Wiene hugging him tightly and switching back and forth between smiling at him and snuggling into his chest.

"Wiene. I'm so happy to see you," he said, returning her hug.

"I'm surprised you managed to stay up, Bellucchi. She's been practically bouncing off the walls ever since she heard you were coming to visit," Lyd said as he and the other Xenos came forward, no longer hidden in darkness and all smiling, except perhaps Gros, though even he seemed mildly pleased to see Bell.

"Well I'm happy I get to see her too. And all of you as well," he replied.

"Ah, you're so sweet," Ray said, coming forward, getting as close to Bell as she could without risk of ruining Wiene's moment.

"Don't forget us," Welf called, entering the hidden area with everyone else.

"No risk of doing that," Lyd said, smiling at seeing the others come in.

"Welf. Lili. Mikoto," Wiene said, getting more and more excited as she said each member of the Hestia familia until she finally saw a familiar wave of gold. Haruhime!"

"Wiene. I'm so happy to see you," Haruhime called, going up to the Xenos and gently stroking her hair.

"And I'm happy to see all of you. I've missed you all so much," she said, trying desperately to somehow snuggle into both Bell and Haruhime.

"I'm sorry it's been so long. A lot's happened recently, but I promise to visit more often," Bell swore.

"Yay!" Wiene proclaimed, somehow snuggling even more into him.

Everyone took a moment to enjoy the sight before them, letting the joy wash over them, before Lyd spoke up.

"So, Belluchi, I've noticed that someone new is with ya. Is this the new person you wanted to meet?" Lyd asked, signally to Ryuu.

Bell turned and quickly realized that Ryuu herself had not actually been properly introduced to the Xenos herself, even if she had known of their existence.

"Actually no, but we do need to do introductions. Everyone, this is Ryuu. She's the second newest member of our familia," Bell introduced.

"She looks familiar," Gros said, his eyes narrowing.

"You may have seen me on the eighteenth floor after the attack on Rivira. I was one of the adventurers sent to respond."

"Ah," the Xenos responded, seemingly not pleased by that, but keeping his displeasure restrained.

"Well, any friend of Bellucchi's is a friend of mine," Lyd happily declared.

In spite of her own reservations, she had after all only ever really seen the Xenos when she was fighting them, Ryuu smiled, though she was internally grateful she had time to process all of this before being confronted by it.

"Likewise," she returned.

"But that raises the question. Fels told us you wanted us to meet someone and if it's not Ryuu then unless they're invisible or really small, I don't see them," the lizardman said.

"If he was invisible you wouldn't be able to see him, silly," Wiene commented.

"Guess you got me there."

Bell smiled, glad about the easy air in the room and hoping it would last.

"Here's waiting outside, we just wanted you to make sure you guys didn't get startled before we introduced you to him. He is a bit unsure of what to think of you all, but said he was willing to trust our judgment as long as he got to meet all of you."

"That seems fair. We are monsters after all," Lyd said, getting a few laughs, though no one failed to notice that not everyone was laughing or how some frowns began to deepen.

"Okay, then I'll go get him. But, as one final warning, he's very strong. He might be stronger than Asterios, in fact," Bell added.

That caused a bit of a stir amongst the Xenos and a few anxious looks were shared before Lyd decided to jump in again.

"Ah, we're pretty strong too, I'm sure he's nothing we can't handle if he gets a little scared of us."

False bravado it may have been, it was nonetheless appreciated by all and Bell smiled and nodded.

"Then I'll be right back," he said, before finally parting from Wiene, with Haruhime quickly taking up the mantle of cuddle buddy.

Bell's exited the hidden village and found Achilles still waiting outside, hand on his sword as he watched for monsters and adventurers.

"Dad, you can come in now."

Achilles turned and looked at Bell for a moment before taking a deep breath.

_Alright, let's go meet the talking monsters._

The two made their way inside with Bell taking the lead.

"Everyone," he said upon reentering, Achilles following immediately after. "I'd like you to meet Achilles Caesar."

Achilles entered and instantly froze.

_There's quite a lot of them._

Everywhere he looked he saw monsters. Big ones. Small ones. Some he could tell were weak, others he could tell were stronger than the vast majority of adventurers. Amongst the latter category he noticed that were at least a few who appeared to be hostile.

His grip on his sword tightened, a fact that was not missed by anyone.

Bell, afraid that things were rapidly turning towards the worse, quickly pressed on.

"Dad, this is Lyd, Ray, and Gros, I told you a bit about them already," he said as he pointed towards the three, the last of who glared and bared his teeth when Achilles's eyes moved towards him. Bell did not fail to miss that, but pretended not to see it, and moved to the person he hoped beyond hope would save this from turning out the exact wrong way.

"And this," he put on the best smile he could manage. "Is Wiene."

The Vouivre, who was still latched onto Haruhime looked at the ex-captain nervously.

"It's okay Wiene. I know he seems a bit scary, but he's actually very nice," Bell tried to reassure, though he couldn't tell who he was really trying to reassure at the moment.

Wiene looked at him for a few moments, feeling like something was a bit off about the way he said that, but in the end doing what came naturally to her and putting her trust in him, and pulling away from Haruhime to approach Achilles.

"Hello, my name is Wiene. It's nice to meet you."

Achilles looked down upon the little monster, his eyes boring into her own.

No sound passed through the halls of the Dungeon as the two stared at each other, everyone simply watched and waited.

_If he tries anything, we'll tear him apart, no matter how strong he is,_ Gros swore.

_Bellucchi, you've always been a true friend, so I'll put my trust in you,_ Lyd thought.

_What's he thinking?_ Lili wondered.

_Please let this end well,_ Haruhime prayed.

_Dad, _Bell called internally, for that was all he could manage as he stared at the two, feeling the terrible temptation to reach for his knife playing in the back of his mind.

Achilles stared into the amber eyes before him, looking for just one thing. Something that he failed to find.

_It's not there. The malevolence. __**His**_ _malevolence._

His gaze finally broke away as his head dropped and a heavy sigh escaped him. With that sigh he finally let go of his sword and brought the hand up to gently stroke Wiene's hair.

"Hello, my name is Achilles Caesar. It's nice to meet you as well. Bell's told me quite a bit about you," he said, giving the girl a small smile.

Wiene's eyes widened and so overcome with relief and joy was she that she instantly surprised the former captain by throwing herself at him and wrapping her arms around him.

"Oof," he looked down at her. "She's a hugger. Alright."

And just like that, the tension was gone. All the fear and anxiety evaporated as Wiene's radiant smile glowed brightly up at Achilles who chuckled and smiled back as his hand went back to stroking her hair.

"So," Achilles said as he continued to stroke Wiene's hair. "I suppose we should do proper introductions now."

Lyd, Ray, and most of the other Xenos smiled, along with the entirety of the Hestia familia, Bell primary amongst them, with the rabbit-like young man immediately jumping in to do just that.

* * *

Everyone was now sitting or laying about as they completed their introductions. Wiene had, after getting her complete fill of physical affection from the newcomer, went back to Bell to receive as much affection from Bell as she could before they had to part again.

"Whew, sounds like you guys have been busy up top. Better than bored though, right?" Lyd asked.

A few people chuckled.

"I suppose so," Bell agreed.

"That said, I'm not sure I've heard of this Zeus familia," Lyd continued. "Are they a small familia?"

A silent tension suddenly fell over the village and a sad smile grew on Achilles's lips.

"The Zeus familia isn't around anymore. We were officially exiled from Orario after losing most of our members."

Lyd and the other Xenos instantly understood what that meant.

"Monsters?" the lizardman asked.

"Monster," Achilles specified.

"Really? Given how strong you are it must have been a really strong one to be able to defeat someone like you."

"The strongest in fact. We were defeated by a monster called the One-Eyed Black Dragon."

The Xenos all froze.

"You fought that?"

Achilles's brow furrowed at that.

"You know it?"

"Not directly," Lyd answered, a bit fidgety. "But there's a part of us monsters that tells us that there's something out there that's a lot bigger, stronger, and much meaner than we are. Like it's some sort of king that we all instinctively know to bow to."

That explanation caused Achilles's frown to deepen.

"That's...interesting."

Things fell silent again as no one knew how to proceed. Eventually Lyd, in both an attempt to get things back on track and because he felt a bit guilty from his questioning, jumped back in.

"Sorry about that. This is supposed to be a celebration and here I am causing everyone to be all glooming and making you feel bad," he bowed his head. "I hope you can forgive me."

Achilles did not answer immediately, and for a few moments everyone wondered if he would at all as he simply looked at the bowing lizardman.

_He doesn't have the malevolence either,_ Achilles thought.

He sighed and let out a long breath.

"Lyd-san, while I can't say that I'm ready to completely accept all this, I can say that I don't think poorly of you. You are not the Dragon. None of you are the Dragon, and I won't think of you in the same category as I think of it. That would be unjust. Besides, as I told Fels, you aren't the weirdest thing I've ever seen. That honor goes to my fellow captain, Briseis and her very… odd attempt at making a birthday cake. To this day I'm still not sure what I saw nor can I properly describe it, all I know is that everyone agreed to never allow her near cooking utensils again."

Everything was silent for a moment before the smiles returned and a few laughs echoed through the village.

"I wish I could have seen that. Anything that's weirder than us must have been quite the sight," Lyd said with a laugh.

Achilles smiled.

"It really was. A pain to clean up though."

A few more laughs passed through the hidden section of the Dungeon as the anxiety burned away. However there was one person who was not laughing.

Achilles's smile dropped as a shadow fell over him, causing him to turn to see Gros glaring down at him.

"Don't think that just because everyone's smiling and laughing that we trust you. Only Bell has earned the right to our trust," the Xenos warned.

"I wouldn't dream of it," the Olympian replied. "It's your right to be suspicious and on guard, just as it is mine to be the same with you; though I suppose I should be glad that Bell has managed to earn the right to your trust."

The monster growled.

"Well, here's something else you should know, human. We have our own heavy-hitter and he would squash a pipsqueak like you."

"Gros," Ray called, trying to calm her fellow Xenos down before things got out of control.

"Asterios. That was his name right? The black minotaur-like creature?"

"That's right," Lyd answered, giving Gros a silent signal to back down, which the Gargoyle reluctantly did. "We had to make sure that he wasn't here when you all visited or else we would have had a fight on our hands," he finished with a laugh.

Within seconds he realized his mistake.

"Why?" Achilles asked.

Everyone began to fidget and turn away, which made him very suspicious.

"Um."

Achilles turned to see a very fidgety Bell.

"That may have something to do with me," the young man said.

Achilles did not like the sound of that.

"Explain."

"Well...you see...Asterios and I are kind of...rivals."

Achilles blinked. Then he blinked again.

"Pardon?"

Bell's fidgeting got worse.

"We both kind of promised that we would both get stronger so that we could have one final fight in the future."

"A final fight?" Achilles asked. Bell nodded. "Between you and Asterios?" Another nod. "The monster that defeated numerous level sixes single-handedly and which you told me you only managed to hold your own against because he was heavily injured?"

"To be fair I was a level three then, not a level five."

If that was meant to make Achilles feel better, it didn't.

"We are having a talk later."

Bell, knowing this was not a fight he had any hope of winning, nodded even as he lamented what was to come.

* * *

The rest of the meeting had gone off without issue as even Gros had decided to keep quiet after realizing he had gotten Bell in trouble.

The parting was the hardest part for most of them as Wiene latched onto Bell.

"Promise you'll visit again soon?" she pleaded.

The Hestia captain smiled at her.

"I promise."

Her smile practically glowed as she threw her head back into Bell's chest.

"I love you, Bell."

Achilles brow furrowed.

_Is there any girl whose heart this boy hasn't stolen?_ he wondered.

"Be good," Haruhime requested, joining the love fest as she gently stroked Wiene's hair.

"I will!" the Vouivre vowed.

"Keep safe everyone," Welf said.

"Don't worry, we're always on top alert. We're not going to have any repeats of last time," Lyd swore.

"Please don't. I don't think Lili could handle it," the prum maiden said.

"It was good to see all of you," Ray added.

"It was nice to see you all as well," Mikoto said, smiling.

"It's time for us to depart, there is still business to attend to," Fels said, stepping forward.

"We'll see you again soon, Bellucchi. Everyone. It was nice to meet you, Ryuu and Achilles," Lyd said, giving his best smile.

"Likewise," Ryuu responded.

"It was certainly one of the more interesting sets of introductions I've had," Achilles stated.

With one final tight hug and vow to return soon, Bell and Wiene separated, slowly walking away from each other, waving the whole time and giving the other their best smile.

Once they were out of the hidden base, Achilles let out a heavy breath.

"Well...that was...something," he managed, before instinctively reaching for his pipe and quickly lighting it and placing it in his mouth.

Everyone was silent as they watched him for a few moments, a few glances being exchanged as they tried to figure out how to respond.

"Does...does that mean you aren't concerned about them anymore, Achilles?" Haruhime asked as gently as she could.

Achilles blew out some smoke.

"I see no reason to be in any way concerned about Wiene beyond worrying about her safety given she's far too kind and gentle to be living in the Dungeon." The light of hope entered the eyes of the Hestia familia. "Lyd and most of the others seem to be decent as well. Gros seems to be a bit of an ass, but so am I, so I suspect we'll get along fine." Smiles appeared as Haruhime and Bell began beaming. "However!" Achilles suddenly roared, fully removing his pipe from his mouth as he spun on Bell. "I am not pleased to learn about Asterios and your little fight. I am very tempted to go hunting for him myself and see how he likes me as a challenger!"

Everyone flinched under the power of Achilles's fury, none more so than Bell, who was actually at risk of falling on his butt given how hard he was flinching.

"That said," Achilles continued, taking a deep breath. "For now, I will hold my peace. But I am doubling your training regime Bell! I am not risking losing you because a wannabe minotaur learned about the concept of rivalry. And I swear if I come across him at any point I don't care what you or he has to say about it, I will summon a storm that would cow the Dungeon itself on his horned ass!"

As much as Bell might have wanted to argue with this, his own desire to defeat his rival being no small thing, he understood he was in no position to even try and argue and so simply nodded, quite vigorously as well.

"Good. Now, we should probably get home. I'm sure Hestia wants to know how things went."

"Actually, Achilles-san, she will be at the Guild, alongside Takemikazuchi, Miach, Loki, Hephaestus, Ganesha, Hermes and Freya, along with all the members of their familias who are aware of the Xenos."

"To what end?" the Olympian asked.

"With the sudden increase in the number of people who are aware of the Xenos's existence, Ouranos-sama thought it would be wise to discuss the matter. Share information, answer questions, and see if we can come up with a plan of action."

"Hm, not exactly a bad idea, but I doubt the others will be as generous as Bell and our familia has been with the great dream the Xenos share."

"That is undoubtedly true. Even so, if we can get them to agree to not infer at the very least, that would be a boon. There is also the issue of monster trappers who continue to try and capture the Xenos to sell them to the outside world. The Ikelos familia and Dix may both now be out of the picture, but the knowledge of the Xenos is well-known enough in the darker corners of society that there will assuredly be those who will attempt to capture them. Forgive me if this is uncouth of me, but Wiene-san would be a primary target for such hunters."

Fists tightened amongst the Hestia familia, none more so than Bell's.

Achilles nodded.

"True enough. Not only is she a rare monster but given her form she would be a perfect target for…" his face contorted in disgust and took a moment to spit. "Certain preferences."

Haruhime, shivered, understanding better than any of them what that meant. Suddenly, her hand was taken, causing her head to fly around to the source and found it was Bell who had taken it. Normally that would have been enough to make her blush and swoon in happiness, but this time she could only gasp in surprise.

"They won't touch her," the young hero swore, his voice filled with the same hatred that currently burned in his eyes turning them into...something different.

_Bell-sama._

Unable to bear seeing him like this, she quickly wrapped her other hand around his and brought it up.

"We will protect her, Bell-sama. No matter what, she will be safe."

Her gentle pledge cooled the fire within him, and slowly brought him back to the kind, gentle person she loved.

"Thank you, Haruhime," he said with a smile.

Glad to see the eyes she adored back to normal, she smiled back.

"She's right."

Both of them shot their heads around, suddenly remembering that they were surrounded by others.

"We will protect Wiene, especially from such filth," Achilles continued, feeling a bit bad about ruining their moment, but afraid that if he didn't cut in, either a certain prum or determined elf would do so instead. "That said, we should probably hurry. While I don't care so much about keeping Freya and her kids waiting, if Hestia is there I'm sure she'll want to hear from us as soon as possible."

"Right!" Bell quickly agreed, hoping to force things forward and quickly brush his little moment with Haruhime under the rug before someone decided to yell at him.

Haruhime, meanwhile, was simply hiding her face, her cheeks a nice shade of red, yet overjoyed that she had managed to get another moment with Bell.

"Then let's get going. It's been too long since I've gotten to see Hephaestus," Welf said, both trying to cover for his little brother and eager to see his favorite red-headed goddess.

"It will be nice to see Takemikazuchi and the others," Mikoto added as they began their climb back.

* * *

After making their way through the rest of the Dungeon and parting with Fels, the Hestia familia made their way directly towards the Guild and were soon entering its doors.

The first thing that they all noticed was that they were instantly the center of attention. For many there seemed to be an aura of awe directed their way, something they all appreciated given that some of the other eyes held the same suspicion, fear, and anger that had been witnessed earlier.

_Grow a spine and some brains why don't you bastards,_ Achilles thought, his own hostility being shot right back at the eyes.

Bell did not fail to notice the hostile eyes, but pretended not to, which in turn was not missed by his familia who collectively and without a word, moved closer to him to both protect and comfort him.

"Bell-kun!" came a familiar voice.

Everyone turned and saw Eina approaching them.

"Hello Eina-san," Bell said, giving her a smile, then noticing her serious look, he asked. "Is something wrong?"

"No. At least I don't think so. I was told that, once you arrived, I was to escort you and your familia to the back rooms," she explained.

"I see. Is it possible for us to drop off our magic stones first?" he asked.

"Well, Royman-san made it seem urgent, but I don't think taking a couple of minutes to receive your reward will be that big of an issue," she said, finally smiling.

"Thank you, Eina-san."

"You're welcome," she replied, a small dusting of red joining her smile.

_Another one? Really Bell? One might begin to wonder if you're not doing it on purpose,_ Achilles thought with a small chuckle.

The familia quickly dropped off their stones and gathered their reward after which Eina escorted them towards the back.

The Hestia familia plus one made their way deep into the Guild, no one speaking though all were wondering how this meeting would go.

"This is as far as I go," the half-elf maiden stated. "Just continue down the hall and you'll arrive at your destination. The others are waiting for you," she explained, still smiling.

"Thank you, Eina-san," Bell replied.

"My pleasure, Bell-kun. I'll see you later."

With that, she departed, leaving the Hestia familia to complete their journey.

"You two seem rather chummy, Bell-sama," Lili said, eyeing him suspiciously.

"She's been a great help to me since I first became an adventurer. I doubt I'd be nearly so successful without her," was Bell's innocent answer.

"Uh-huh," the prum returned, her gaze unwavering.

* * *

The Hestia familia all made their way down the hall and soon the sight of dozens of gods and their children came into view, all scattered around a dark room and all surrounding a lone throne where the god of the city sat with his usual, unwavering gaze.

They all walked in, sparing glances to the many people in the room who, in turn, stared right back at them. Lili shot her eyes toward Hestia to try and communicate with the goddess and assess the situation. Welf turned his eyes to Hephaestus for familiarity. Mikoto turned to hers Takemikazuchi and her former familia for assurance. Ryuu focused on Aisha who stood next to Hermes whose eyes shot between Bell and Achilles. The two captains focused ahead on Ouranos, sparing only brief glances at a certain gold swordsman and emerald elf. Perhaps the most interesting though was Haruhime whose eyes turned towards where the tingling in the back of her neck was originating, soon discovering the gemstones called eyes of a certain goddess of beauty.

Freya had watched all her dearly beloveds walk in, her smile growing just the tiniest bit at seeing them all. Her eyes, naturally, had gone to Bell first, reveling in his ever-growing strength, before shifting towards Achilles and noting how tense he was before pondering what she could do to ease him. Finally, she turned to her newest love, the second sun in her life, who was so full of goodness that the goddess could practically feel herself absorbing it. When the delightful fox turned towards her, she was tempted for a moment to use Charm, but quickly cast that thought aside.

_I will have them all soon enough, and better yet, they shall all come to me of their own volition._

"My sincerest apologies for keeping you waiting, Ouranos-sama," Bell said, bowing, the rest of the Hestia familia following suit.

"It could not be helped," Ouranos replied, the boom of his voice sending chills through most of the Hestia familia's spines. "You have been informed as to the purpose of this meeting?"

"Yes, Ouranos-sama," Bell answered politely.

"Then we may begin. We shall start with you, Achilles," the god decreed.

Achilles, expecting this, came forward.

"How may I be of service, Ouranos-sama?"

"You have now met the Xenos?"

This began the first stirrings of noise as most were unaware that Achilles had gone to meet the monsters.

"I have."

"And what are your thoughts on the matter?"

"Are you asking me if I'm still anxious or unnerved by the knowledge of their existence?" Achilles questioned, wanting to get to the heart of the matter.

"Yes," Ouranos replied simply, not one for games either.

Achilles's hands went to his hips as his eyes turned to the floor and he let out a long breath.

"In all honesty, I still can't say that I'm very happy to learn about them."

The Hestia familia shot their eyes to him, shocked and heartbroken at hearing that. They had thought he had accepted the Xenos, everything he had said in the Dungeon seemed to indicate that, as long as mentions of Asterios were excised.

"Dad," Bell quietly called, his voice shaky.

"I want it noted, however, that it is not Wiene and the others I met today that make me uneasy," Achilles quickly added, noting the hurt behind him.

"Then what is the reason?" Ouranos questioned.

"The reason is," Achilles's knuckles led white and a pained look filled his features. "That they were not my first Xenos."

There was not a person in the room that was not surprised to hear that and for a few moments everyone wondered where he could have met one before. That was until Bell remembered the incident on the Eighteenth floor.

"The monster that you killed," he began. "The one that came out of Knossos and attacked."

This was news to some, but not to all, and so a few whispers were shared amongst those there. Within a few moments, everyone generally understood the situation and realizing what Achilles met, they calmed.

"That wasn't the first."

Then that understanding disappeared as they all refocused on Achilles with renewed confusion.

Achilles's nails were now biting into his hand hard enough to draw blood and the anger and terror in his eyes would have overwhelmed all present had it not been directed at the ground.

"I met my first Xenos...fifteen years ago."

For a brief, peaceful moment, everyone wondered what that meant. Then that peace shattered.

Everyone's eyes, from Bell to Hestia, Aiz to Freya, Riveria to Ottar, and even Ouranos's own eyes, opened wide in horrified shock at the suggestion being put forward. Achilles however, did the opposite and closed his eyes.

"**Did you really think you could beat me, insect?"**

The world stopped as they all took in the new, terrible voice that emerged from Achilles, but none were more affected than Aiz.

_That's...That's its voice. The voice of my father's killer. My mother's captor. That's what it sounds like, _she thought as her body began to shake in rage and terror. Unfortunately for her, and indeed for all, Achilles was not done.

"**Did you really think that such treacherous creatures as yourselves could lay me low? No faithless worms like yourselves could destroy me. I'd never allow it. I'd sooner devour my own wings then let such back-stabbing creatures be the end of me. Though I will admit, you had more fight in you than most. I suppose that means you will make a good snack at the very least."**

Achilles opened his eyes.

"The Dragon…" Ouranos tried.

"Was a Xenos, yes," Achilles finished.

All was silent. No one could speak. What would they say even if they could?

"The Dragon…" Achilles bit his lip as the painful memories once more began to flood his mind. "_He_...was intelligent. Not just capable of speech. I can still remember, plain as day, how he picked us apart."

Wave after wave of anguish rolled off the Olympian, filling all in the room, mortal and god alike, with dread.

"First, he went for the mages. Made sure we didn't have any healers and limited our options of attack. Then he went for the archers and ranged units, likewise making it even harder to hit him once he took to the sky. Then he started going after everyone else. During the entire fight he also knew to try and take out whoever appeared to be a leader. Whoever seemed to be giving commands. I can't tell you how many attacks me and Briseis dodged during the fight, but I can still picture how he tricked her. How he went after a group of injured Hera familia members, knowing she would try and rescue them and then," bile entered his throat. "And then, as I desperately tried to reach out to her, trying to save her from the trap, how he sent down a river of hell fire, consuming her in an instant. That was the last time I saw my fellow captain."

_Dad,_ Bell thought, wanting to reach out towards his father, yet finding himself unable to.

_Achilles,_ Riveria thought, wanting to do likewise, but likewise unable.

_My poor Achilles. You have suffered so much. Don't worry, beloved, I shall soon take it all away so that you may shine fully once more,_ Freya thought, hand over her heart as she made that vow.

Blood leaking through the cracks of his clenched fist, Achilles pressed forward.

"I had hoped, desperately, I had simply made the whole thing up. That in my grief and confusion I had simply imagined it all. That...he...hadn't been real. And for fifteen years I was able to pretend that it was all a figment of my imagination. A fiction my mind had come up with. And then...well. I was forced to confront the truth. That's why I was so anxious, nay terrified at learning there were more. Why I'm still not entirely comfortable with it. Luckily, I did remember one important thing during all this."

Ouranos, being the only one who had enough power over himself to speak, asked the natural next question.

"What is it that you remembered?"

Instead of answering, Achilles turned towards his captain.

"Bell."

The young man jumped, suddenly snapped back to reality.

"Yes?"

"Do you fear Tiona and Tione?"

Now everyone was practically drowning in confusion, except perhaps the mentioned amazons who, after a moment, turned towards Bell, the former with concerned eyes. True, she didn't mind so much if people were afraid of her in general, she could kick their butts after all, but with her Argonaut-kun things were different. She didn't like the idea of him being afraid of her. Luckily Bell, once he recovered from his own confusion, gave the best answer he could.

"No, of course not," he replied, brow furrowed. "Why would I?"

"You've had some pretty nasty run-ins with amazons have you not?"

This still didn't answer the question for most with regards to the purpose of Achilles's question, indeed for most this question only made things more confusing, though for the cleverest in the room, the pieces were beginning to fall into place as to where this was going.

Aisha, who was still next to Hermes, began to fidget as her eyes fell to the ground, remembering just how involved she was with those 'nasty run-ins'. Indeed, it was not long until she started to feel just a touch of hostility pointed her way.

"I suppose so," Bell admitted. "But I couldn't blame all amazons for that. That would be wrong. In fact," his gaze turned towards Aisha and he smiled. "In a way I'm grateful. If not for one of those run-ins I wouldn't have met Haruhime and been able to rescue her. Not only that but Aisha taught me a very important lesson with regards to what it takes to be a man."

The amazon's eyes widened, unable to do anything but stare as the young man and object of her affections smiled at her.

"Hm. I see," Achilles returned. Not wasting a moment, he shifted his attention. "Ryuu. Riveria. Lefiya."

All three elves jumped.

"Yes?" they all replied.

"Do you hate Welf?"

It took a moment for anyone to react as Achilles's new question seemed to be just as much out of nowhere as his first.

"Why would you ask that, Achilles?" Riveria questioned.

"He's a Crozzo. The family that profited from magic weapons that were used against the elves. I figured it was a legitimate question."

A few more moments passed as everyone fell into thought. Welf, for his part, looked down in shame, pulling at the heartstrings of both his familia and his beloved goddess. However, this lasted but a moment as a resolute voice responded.

"My village was never attacked, but I can say, without a shred of falsity, that even if it had, I would not hold any animosity towards Welf-san. I have seen his good heart and know he is a good man. Besides that, he did not, in any way take part in the attacks and has gone so far as to reject his family's legacy," Ryuu answered.

Riveria, smiled and nodded.

"I agree. He was far too young to hold even a modicum of blame and he has impressed me with his resilience, steadfastness, and loyalty. I hold nothing more than respect for him," she stated.

Finally came Lefiya who fidgeted for a moment before answering.

"I don't really know Welf-san that well. I can't say that I'm not bothered by the fact he's a Crozzo, but I think it would be unfair to think badly of him just because of the family he was born into."

Achilles nodded and finally turned back to Ouranos.

"There's your answer," knowing that most were still confused with what he meant, he elaborated. "I used to think of monsters in the same way as I think of earthquakes, storms, and forest fires. For most I still do. They're natural disasters. Things you don't wish to confront but which are a part of life. You don't hold any malice towards them because they hold no malice themselves. They just are. They just exist. However," fury roared to life in his eyes. "I do **hate** the Dragon. Because he is malevolent. Because he is cruel and truly monstrous. But I hate him as an _individual_," he emphasized. "The fact that we now have these Xenos, monsters who are not simply mindless creatures but have their own thoughts, feelings, and most importantly, personalities, changes things. Having met Wiene I can say that to describe her as: malevolent, cruel, or truly monstrous would be perhaps the biggest lie I've ever told. Indeed the words: sweet, gentle, and, dare I say, even cute, would be far more accurate descriptors."

Relief quickly filled the hearts of the Hestia familia as they finally understood, completely, where this was going.

"So, the thing I remembered, Ouranos-sama, is that I must treat individuals _as_ individuals. Generalizations can be helpful for quick reference, but don't do the subject justice. I cannot, nor should I, treat Wiene as I would treat the Dragon, so I won't. I'm still a bit anxious about all of this, but I suspect, in time, I shall be able to fully accept the Xenos and their dream."

The tension in the room finally ebbed away and a calm returned.

"I see," Ouranos said, his normal unflinching demeanor restored. "You are a wise man, Achilles Caesar. Many would do well to take your words to heart."

"I suppose that's one positive to getting old," the Olympian half-heartedly joked.

"I don't think there is one person here who would dare use that term to describe you, Achilles," Hermes said, entering the conversation. "If anything I think I speak for all of us when I say that our respect and admiration for you has only grown given these new revelations."

Achilles frowned.

"Thanks, I suppose."

"No need to thank me," Hermes replied, ignoring the frown. "Though I do wonder how you could have escaped the Dragon. It must have truly been a tale of epic proportions given what you have told us."

Hermes knew full well he was entering dangerous territory, but as a purveyor of knowledge he was willing to take risks in its gathering, especially with regards to heroic deeds that could be used to help Bell fulfill his destiny.

Achilles's frown deepened.

"I didn't escape. I was rescued."

That was not the answer Hermes, or indeed anyone but those who already knew, were expecting.

"By whom?" Ouranos asked.

Achilles turned towards the god.

"By Aria Waldstein."

As most of the room once more fell silent in shock, Aiz's fist tightened and it was only through the calming touch and eyes of Riveria that she managed to calm down.

"Aria Waldstein? The wind spirit? Wife of Albert Waldstein?" Hephaestus asked, shocked.

"Yes. It appears the Dragon has been holding her captive all these years. She jumped in right as he was about to finish me off and stopped him."

"How?" Hermes asked, a nearly invisible hint of eager desperation in his voice.

"She…" Achilles fell silent.

_What did she do? Everything from back then is so hazy. Everything except the horrible and miserable things._

Achilles closed his eyes and used all his might to try and remember what had happened. Slowly the picture began to form and once more, a new, but far gentler voice came from his mouth.

"I accept your deal."

Aiz's breath hitched at the sound of her mother's voice, unable to stop herself after hearing it for the first time in years.

_It really was her. She was there that day, _she thought, hope and determination filling her heart.

"Deal?" Ouranos asked the question they were all wondering. "What deal?"

"I have no idea," Achilles said. "But whatever it was was apparently good enough for the Dragon because he let her heal me as best she could after that and flew off with her. However, given the timing, I suspect that it may have something to do with the Xenos."

If Achilles didn't have everyone's attention before, he certainly did now.

"Explain," Ouranos said.

"I was told the Xenos first appeared fifteen years ago. That does not seem like a coincidence. Nor does this deal. That deal may have something to do with the emergence of the Xenos. It could also be that the destruction of the other Great Beasts spurred on the Xenos. The Behemoth and the Leviathan were, after all, out in the world for over a thousand years and were very powerful. Maybe their deaths and return to the Dungeon was like a sort of injection of power and knowledge into the Dungeon. I'm not sure, that's just a hunch. All I know is that the timing is too perfect and that whatever this 'deal' was can't be good, especially since the Dragon was so happy to accept it."

Ouranos and a few others nodded their heads.

"No it cannot be. Unfortunately for now, we can only speculate," the god said.

"Then I'll take that as my queue to leave, if that is alright with you, Ouranos-sama. Today's been a hell of a day and I'm in desperate need of a smoke and time away from thinking about monsters," Achilles said.

"You are excused. As are the rest of you. We can discuss the Xenos's future more in the future, but at the moment I believe everyone is far too preoccupied with this new information for any real progress on that front to be made."

More than a few people nodded at that and most everyone turned to leave.

"Pardon me, Ouranos."

Everyone turned to a certain smiling goddess of beauty.

"I was hoping to speak with you and Ganesha about another matter, if I may take a bit of your time."

A few people frowned at that, none deeper than Achilles.

"What is this matter?" Ouranos asked.

"I'd like it to be a bit of a surprise for everyone else, if you're willing to indulge me," she replied.

The frowns in the room deepened.

Normally, Ouranos would not have been so willing, but he knew that if he did not indulge her now, she would simply wait or, worse yet, raise some sort of issue later.

"Very well. Ganesha, are you willing to stay?"

"Of course," Ganesha replied, having long since dispensed with his usual playful persona.

"Then we shall hear what you have to say, Freya," Ouranos consented.

"Thank you," she returned, signally for her familia to exit alongside the others, though everyone else was eyeing the goddess of beauty with extreme curiosity and suspicion the whole way out. "Oh, and Bell," she called.

The Hestia familia tensed as their captain turned to the goddess.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Would you mind waiting for me to finish speaking with Ouranos and Ganesha. There is something I wanted to speak to you about as well."

Bell knew what she meant and knew he had put it off for long enough.

"Of course, Freya-sama," he replied.

"Thank you, beloved," she said, giving him a smile that would send most people to their knees. "I'll be with you shortly."

Bell nodded and departed, the rest of his familia following after, their worry growing with each passing moment.

* * *

"What do you think that was about?" Hestia asked out loud, not caring who answered.

"Whatever it is can't be good," Loki replied, frowning.

"You can say that again," Achilles said, taking out his pipe.

"Achilles-kun, we're still indoors," Hestia chided.

"I'm really stressed right now, so I beg your forgiveness, but you're all going to have to deal with the smoke for a little while," he replied, lighting his pipe and placing it in his mouth. He took a deep breath and let it out, some of the tension leaving his body.

He was not the only tense one as, off to the side, with a motherly elf watching over her, was a certain Sword Princess who was still trying to process what she had heard. Lucky for her, a certain heroically minded object of her affections took notice.

"Are you alright Aiz-san?" he asked quietly enough to not draw attention.

Though still recovering, Aiz could not help but smile once Bell appeared before her.

"It's all a bit much to take in. Knowing that the Dragon is a Xenos, but also that my mother really is alive, even hearing her voice again, it's all a bit much."

Bell nodded, though a tinge of fear passed through his heart as he wondered if the knowledge of the Dragon would turn her against the Xenos.

"I can only imagine, but I'll be here if you need anything," he swore nonetheless.

Her smile grew just a bit.

"Thank you, Bell."

Riveria was more than happy to watch the two interact from the sidelines, knowing they were inching closer and closer to becoming one. She was not alone as Hermes had noticed the two's interaction and smiled as he imagined the union between Orario's two great heroes. However, these were not the only reactions to the two as, only a few paces away, the eyes of nearly all the Freya familia were pointed towards the two, hostility radiating off of them like heat radiating off a forest fire. Amongst these vicious eyes, none was more vicious or hateful than those of Allen Fromel.

_Just you wait, Rabbit. You'll get what you deserve soon enough and I'm going to enjoy giving it to you,_ he internally growled, hate consuming him as he watched the object of his contempt, smile in blissful ignorance towards what was to come.

* * *

"What is it you wished to speak to us about, Freya?" Ouranos questioned.

"There's no doubt that all three of us have taken note of the recent tension in the city," she began, still giving her usual smile.

Ganesha frowned.

"Yes, the city is on edge given the multitude of recent events. I have done my best to ease them, but there's only so much even I can do," the god of the masses replied.

"Your efforts are admirable, Ganesha and I'm sure you and your familia have done much to unburden the worries of the city, however, and no insult is meant by this, it is not enough."

Ganesha's frown deepened, but he could say nothing. He knew she was right.

"And you have a suggestion?" Ouranos asked, not in the mood for her to play games and desiring the she get to the point.

"I do," she responded immediately. "They need a distraction. Something that can get their minds off the recent concerns. Something big and spectacular. Something that captures their attention," her smile grew. "Like a tournament."

"A tournament?" Ouranos questioned.

"Yes. Think about it. A simple War Game is enough to grab the whole city's attention for days, even weeks. People eat, drink, bet, and celebrate all around the game, the recent fight between Hestia and Apollo being a recent example, and that lasted only a few hours. Imagine that, but for weeks and with every familia taking part. Dozens of gods with thousands of adventurers participating for prizes, fame, and prestige. Not only would all eyes be unable to resist the spectacle, but it would do wonders for business, especially if we sent word out before the grand event so that visitors could come and see the tournament themselves. Food, fun, wealth, and spectacle, a perfect combination to ease the minds of Orario and get things back to a calm, optimistic spirit."

The two gods thought about the proposal. Neither was foolish enough to dismiss it outright, this was Freya after all, and one of the best things she was known for, after her beauty, was her intelligence and wit. However, there was one question that they both wanted answered.

"What do you get out of this, Freya?" Ouranos asked.

Freya continued to smile, but a fierceness suddenly entered her eyes that honestly surprised the two gods.

"You two have heard the whispers circulating through the city about my Bell?"

Now they understood.

"The recent spectacle my dear Bell-kun provided has caused many of the more timid within the city to turn towards some dark thoughts and propositions. I have tried to discourage these lines of thinking, but with little success." Both gods wondered precisely how she was 'discouraging', but kept silent for now. "As such I need an alternative strategy to protect my dearly beloved. Thinking on the matter, the answer was obvious. People are scared and a sense of pessimism has begun to sink into the spirit of the city. So, if that fear and pessimism was dealt with, say with a grand event that would captivate, enthrall, and entertain the city, then that would help my Bell tremendously. That is what I get out of it, Ouranos. My Bell, safe and happy. A worthy cause, no?"

The god of the Guild did not fail to notice the suggestion she made at the end, nor the meaning of her newly reinvigorated smile.

_He's helped you more than you could have ever possibly asked him to. You owe him this._

And, in a rare moment that someone else might have joked deserved to be recorded in a history book, Ouranos agreed with her.

"We shall take your suggestion under advisement," he said.

Freya's smile grew. She knew what that meant.

_Good._

"Thank you," she said, giving the tiniest bow, then waved goodbye to Ganesha before turning and leaving.

With the goddess gone, Ganesha turned to Ouranos.

"I will begin preparations immediately."

* * *

Freya made her way towards Bell and the others, Ottar and the rest of her familia immediately taking their place around her as she reached the objects of her affections.

"Thank you for waiting, Bell," she said, smiling tenderly at him.

"Of course, Freya-sama. What is it you wished to speak to me about?" the young adventurer asked, already knowing the answer.

"I wished to know if it would be possible for us to finally have our meeting. I do not wish to pressure you, but I do so wish to put your mind at ease and show you my intentions are completely pure."

_Good luck with that,_ Achilles thought.

"I understand. Well, I think it would be possible for us to have our meeting tomorrow, if Loki-sama is willing," Bell replied.

"Loki?" Freya questioned.

"Yep," the redhead trickster goddess jumped in. "Got a personal request from Chibi to have the meeting at my place so we can make sure you don't play any tricks. Got a problem with that?" she asked, her eyes opening just a sliver.

Freya was silent for a moment, but only a moment, before she smiled.

"Not at all. As I told Bell, this is to earn his trust and show the depths of my affection for him, as well as his father," her eyes turned to Achilles, who stared right back without so much as a flinch. "And the most recent person to garner my affections. My dear, sweet, Haruhime," she finished, turning towards the renard who could not help but turn away with a blush.

"Right," Loki responded, clearly not buying it. "Then my place, noon tomorrow. We'll have lunch while you show us _all_ your 'pure intentions'."

Freya nodded to her fellow goddess, before turning her eyes towards Bell.

"Noon tomorrow," she said.

Bell nodded.

"Noon tomorrow."

* * *

And finished.

Once more I must apologize for this taking so long to get out, I truly did not expect it to take as long as it did. I thought I'd have it out two or three days after the previous chapter, but I once more came across one of the great difficulties of writing. Finding the right words. You wouldn't figure finding a way to say something would be so difficult but, goodness, it can be.

Anyway, as per usual, please tell me what you thought of the chapter. Did I miss anything important? Do you have any requests? Feel free to share them as I do like to hear back from you all. With that said, thank you for joining me again and I'll see you all next time for our meeting with Freya. Bye for now.


	26. Chapter 26

Hello my dear peeps. I hope you are all doing well. It's that time again. Time for another chapter of Heroes and this time we're finally going to have our meeting with a certain goddess of beauty.

Before we get there however, there's a few questions that were sent my way that I'd like to answer. So let's just go down the list.

\- Will Artemis be appearing in this story?

A lot of people have asked about this and well, I'm not sure. I have yet to see the Danmachi film, so I don't know her character or her connection to Bell well enough to add her. Also, as far as I'm aware, she returned to Heaven, which would make her appearance a bit questionable. However, it's not out of the question, especially if I finally get to see the film and like her and/or her connection to Bell.

\- Are we going to be seeing more members of the Zeus and Hera familias?

Well, this one has already sort of been answered with the appearance of Dido at the end of chapter 23, however, since it's not really spoilers, I will say we will be seeing more members of both familias in one form or another. People have also been mentioning the addition to the Danmachi fan page of members of both familias: Alfia and Zald. I will probably mention them at some point, but they won't be level sevens here given the canon of this story has Achilles as the first level seven.

\- Will Kronos and the gods' secrets be returning as a plot point?

Yes. In fact this is tied with the main plot. The secret or secrets that the gods are hiding will directly affect Bell and bring him into conflict with numerous individuals and force him to make a great choice in the end. However, beyond that major admittance, I will say no more.

\- Will Patroclus be making an appearance?

Possibly. But not as Achilles's lover. Achilles is straight in this story (though, if anyone's curious I am planning to have some LGBT love in the story). If he does appear he'll probably appear as one of Achilles's siblings should we ever meet Achilles's pre-Orario family.

\- Will Aisha become a member of the Hestia familia?

As far as I'm aware, she can't. She just joined the Hermes familia, meaning she has to wait a year before switching familias, and though a few months have passed since then, it will still be some time until she has the option should she want it. But remember, she would have to get past Hestia, Lili, Ryuu, and perhaps most importantly, Achilles, who wasn't exactly pleased with her the last time he saw her.

\- Will Hestia/everyone learn about Bell's training with Aisha?

(Blinks)...(Blinks again)...Um...I honestly don't know. I've been asking myself that question since I first wrote the chapter with their first meeting, and I feel like I should, but...I don't know, I could never plan the scene out in a way I was satisfied with. However, Freya knows and with this being the meeting chapter, maybe she'll bring it up (shrug).

Finally, the last question I wish to answer, and my final, sort of spoiler for today.

\- Will there be lemons in this story?

Hell yes. In fact, I already have seven roughly or near-completely planned out (though I'm not going to tell who they're all with and I think at least one of them is going to surprise you). I have been a lemony writer since my beginnings in Fanfiction, but have backed off my more lemon-focused trash stories and will add them only when appropriate. If that's not your cup of tea then consider this your warning. It will still be some time before we reach them as quite a few things have to occur before I can create the scenes, but most emphatically yes, there will be lemons in the pages of this story, and plenty of them.

Now, with my little spoilers and teasers out of the way, let's get to the story, shall we?

I do not own Danmachi

* * *

"You sure about this kid?" Loki asked Bell.

Bell felt everyone's eyes on him and knew they were all thinking the same. No one knew how this meeting would go, but all knew that there was danger within it. None of them would blame him if he wanted to pull out, in fact many would be relieved or pleased by that outcome, and would happily tell Freya the meeting was off. However, Bell was not the kind of person to back down from a challenge, especially not one he had agreed to.

"Yes," he answered firmly.

The goddess nodded.

"Alright, then let's get this over with. The sooner we get this over with the sooner I can go back to ogling the girls in the bath."

For once no one groaned at her for that statement, they all knew she was simply trying to lighten the mood.

Both familias made their way down the halls towards the main hall where the meeting was taking place. There was no sign of any of the other members of the Loki familia as Loki had warned her familia of what was transpiring and told them to steer clear, both to protect them from a potential Charming by Freya, and in case things went south during the talks. As such, most were either held up in their rooms, spending a day out on the town, or in the Dungeon, leaving the Twilight Manor as silent as a tomb.

Arriving at their destination, they all took a deep breath and entered.

"Thanks for waiting, Freya," Loki said.

"Oh, it was no problem. Thank you for having us," the second goddess replied.

The 'us' was the goddess of beauty herself and all her highest ranking members. They each sat on one side of the table, flanking their goddess, except for Ottar who stood behind his goddess, ready to guard her, as always.

The Hestia and Loki familia began to file in. They began to sit, but where one might have suspected that the Hestia and Loki familia would stick with their own familias, they instead intermingled, with Loki members sitting next to Hestia members and vice versa. This was to ensure that, should things turn out badly, that the higher ranked adventurers could jump in to resist the Freya leaders, for even if it had been agreed that no one would bring weapons, that didn't mean a fight couldn't still occur.

Naturally, Bell, being the focus of the meeting, took the seat directly across from Freya, with Haruhime and Achilles taking either side of him, the latter making sure to be across from Ottar, though that did leave Haruhime directly across from a still irate Allen.

Once everyone was seated, Freya began.

"Thank you for doing this, Bell. I know you must be anxious, but I hope by the end of this meeting, I'll have put your mind at ease," her eyes shifted to her two other beloveds. "All your minds at ease."

_Fat chance,_ Achilles thought.

"I hope so too, Freya-sama," Haruhime said, still nervous, but allowed her kind nature to instill her with optimism.

"We shall see, Freya-sama," Bell replied.

Freya continued to smile, completely unperturbed by the suspicion.

"Where would you like to begin?" she asked with even more seduction in her tone than usual.

"Why don't we start with what you were talking to Ouranos-sama and Ganesha-sama about yesterday," Bell suggested.

"Of course," Freya said, completely unshaken, and, if Achilles's eyes were correct, even pleased.

_Why would she be happy about this?_ he wondered, concerned.

"I was speaking to the two of them about a little idea I had. That idea was to have a large, city-wide tournament where every familia was invited to participate."

No one was expecting that, and had the other goddesses in the room not been experts at catching lies, they would have called her a liar. However, as far as they could tell, she was telling the honest truth.

"Why would you request a tournament?" Bell asked.

Freya's smile widened just enough to be noticeable and many within the room felt as if they had fallen into a trap.

"To protect you," she said, her voice dripping with powerful affection.

"I don't understand. Protect me from what?" Bell asked, confused.

Freya's smile returned to its usual state, but those who knew her could tell there was a touch of anger present now.

"I'm sure you've noticed the new kind of attention you've been receiving," the goddess replied.

Instantly Bell, Achilles, and the Loki familia knew what she meant, though the Hestia familia was in the dark and confused.

"New kind of attention?" Hestia questioned, looking at Bell.

The young captain didn't wish to answer, afraid of worrying his familia all over again, but he was saved from having to do so by Freya herself.

"Ever since Bell's display a few days ago, many within the city have been on edge. Some are jealous of his rapid growth and great power, but others," her smile finally dropped. "Have deemed him to be a threat." The Hestia familia was instantly alarmed. Unfortunately, Freya wasn't done. "There have been whispers, no, not whispers, I swore to be completely honest," she said. "There have been plans to attack and kill Bell. Many within the city now deem him a threat after hearing the rumors of Achilles's wounding and potential death, alongside the explosion over the city. They have decided that it would be in their interest, and even in the interest of Orario itself for him to be removed. Permanently."

Fear now burst from the Hestia familia's eyes and each looked ready, at that very moment, to jump from their seats and take up defensive positions around their captain. They weren't the only ones, as Aiz looked both furious and terrified after the reminder that there was a plot to kill the man she loved and she felt herself going back and forth between wanting to wrap Bell up in her arms to protect him, and going to hunt for the plotters and give them a taste of what she gave Phryne.

"Bell-kun's innocent!" Hestia cried, being the first to actually jump from her chair. "He's a good boy who would never hurt someone without good reason! How could they possibly ever-!"

"Peace, Hestia. Peace," Freya said gently. "I completely agree with you. Bell did absolutely nothing wrong. He's one of the most patient, kindest, and perhaps the single most heroic person in all of Orario. He does not deserve the jealousy or scorn in the least."

Being in agreement with Freya for once, Hestia calmed down, but turned her gaze to Bell, who gave her the best smile he could.

"It's alright, Hestia-sama. Nothing bad is going to happen," he vowed.

"No, it's not alright," she replied forcefully. "But you are right. Nothing bad is going to happen. I won't let it."

"Neither will Lili!" the prum added, jumping to her feet.

"No one's touching my little brother," Welf stated firmly.

"We won't let anyone hurt you, Bell-dono," Mikoto swore.

"They'd be fools to even try," Ryuu growled.

"We'll protect you," Haruhime said, smiling gently at Bell.

"Yes we will," Achilles reinforced.

Everyone appreciated the display, except for most of the Freya familia, especially Allen who thought it nauseous. Even Ottar seemed to approve of the display, content at seeing his lady's beloved surrounded by people so adamant in ensuring his good will. Freya herself was smiling pleasantly as the display finished.

"Of course you have my solemn vow as well," she added, bringing everyone back to the conversation. "And that's what the tournament's for. I realized I wouldn't be able to snuff out all the fear and rage directed at you, Bell, and so decided on a different approach. I figured that if everyone was given a proper distraction, something that would lift their spirits and evaporate this cloud of worry over the city, then you would be safe again. Or as safe as you could be."

Everyone thought about this for a few moments and realized it wasn't a terrible idea. Things had been on edge within the city for some time and giving everyone a spectacle would give them something pleasant to focus on and probably get rid of at least some of their concern with regards to Bell.

"I see. Then I suppose it's only right I thank you, Freya-sama," Bell said, standing up. "Thank you very much," he said with a bow.

A touch of anxiety crept up the Hestia and Loki familia's spines. They knew that any benevolent sign or emotion that Bell sent the goddess's way would only hook her all the more on him. Their fears were proven both correct, and amplified, when the goddess of beauty stood up from her chair, reached across the table, and lifted his gaze to look him in the eye.

"You don't have to thank me, Bell-kun. It is my greatest pleasure to help you."

The intensity of the desire in both her voice and eyes struck Bell dumb. Her eyes, like gleaming gemstones, were practically overflowing with desire and affection for him, to the point it was actually intimidating. However, that was not all it was. It was also, dare he think it, flattering.

_This is why Dad fell in love with her. She feels so intensely, and loves even more so, that it's like you're drowning in everything she feels for you. I...I thought I understood it before, but I didn't. I couldn't. I had to see it. See what she feels, to understand what it feels like to be loved by her, and to understand why one would fall in love with her._

All this he felt and thought in mere moments as everything Freya had washed over him and, before he knew it, before any modicum of consciousness could recognize what he was doing, he began to lean in.

Freya's eyes widened. Her breath began heavier and hotter, and her desire threatened to burst from her to the point she felt the tell-tale sign of it dripping down her leg.

_Yes! Come to me, Bell. Come and be mine!_

A hand on Bell's shoulder snapped them both back to reality.

Achilles had seen it all. He knew what was happening because he had faced it as well. The intoxication of Freya's adoration. The sweetest, most delightful drug that one could ever experience and which had taken him years, and some of the worst experiences of his life, to even begin to break free from. There was no way he was going to let the addiction begin with his son. Not while he was there and not while those who actually held Bell's heart or who deserved to, were right there.

Bell blinked and turned, seeing the hand on his shoulder before following it to see Achilles's overwhelmingly concerned eyes.

Realizing what had happened and feeling a shame so deep it shook him to his core, his eyes widened, before his head fell and he all but threw himself back into his seat, unable to look at anyone.

Achilles sighed before glaring at Freya, who had returned to her seat and simply smiled as she set a silent message back at him.

_Tease._

Everyone else, meanwhile, tried to figure out what had just happened. They instinctively understood that a disaster had been averted, but they didn't know what the disaster was or how it had been stopped. They couldn't. They hadn't been on the end of what Achilles and Bell had faced and so, anxious and confused, they eventually dropped the matter, deciding to just be grateful that whatever could have happened, didn't.

"That doesn't seem like something you would need to keep secret," Achilles said angrily, refusing to relent on glaring at his former beloved.

"I wanted it to be a surprise," Freya replied, still smiling. "Besides, everyone has their secrets, Achilles-kun."

"That's not true."

Everyone's eyes shifted back to Bell who, at hearing that statement, had managed to get over his mortification at what he had almost done.

"We promised to not keep secrets in our familia," he said firmly.

Every member of the Hestia familia smiled, along with most of the Loki familia, ready to back them up with an affirmation of their own vow.

However, Freya had an ace in the hole.

"So your familia knows about your visits to the Pleasure District?"

Bell and Achilles tensed as everything went silent.

"Fuck," the ex-captain said out loud.

"Bell-kun." The terrified captain turned to his goddess. "What does she mean?" Hestia asked.

"Um...well you see...I…" Bell didn't know how to answer. More importantly he really didn't want to answer. He really really _really_ didn't want to answer.

"It's my fault."

Everyone shifted to Achilles.

"When I found out Freya was after Bell I decided to try giving him the same training that Zeus gave me."

"What training takes place in the Pleasure District?" Lili asked, her eyes and tone turning venomous.

"Seduction training, of course," Achilles replied simply, hoping to get things over with like ripping a band-aid.

Things fell silent for a moment before Hestia, her eyes wide and hostility radiating off her, tilted her head and asked.

"What?"

_Well I'm in deep shit,_ Achilles thought.

"Back when I first fell in love with Freya, Zeus decided to take me to the Pleasure District in order so I could learn to recognize when a woman was trying to seduce me and maybe snap me out of my adoration."

"Didn't work," Freya teased.

Achilles growled.

"No it didn't," he admitted. "To be fair though, I was already smitten by the time he took me. Bell was and _is_ not," he bit back. Freya continued to smile despite this. "So I thought it might do some good."

"Some good!" Hestia and Lili roared, sending Allen and Bete aback as their ears began ringing.

"Yes," Achilles said after his own ears stopped ringing. "Bell, to put it bluntly, has garnered the affections of many women, young ladies, and goddesses. Hell, Apollo proved that even some men were interested in him."

That did not please either Hestia or Lili, nor most of the other ladies of Hestia familia, however the hardest hit was a certain bladed royalty.

_There are others who want Bell? Then how could I ever be the one he chooses?_ Aiz said, falling into misery.

Riveria, who was standing next to her, saw this, and quickly acted.

"Don't give up hope. You don't know his own feelings and it may be that his heart already belongs to you," she whispered.

It was a bit much, she knew. It was as close to admitting Bell's feelings as she could get without doing the actual confession, however, Riveria deemed that it was worth it when she saw Aiz look up and stare at her with eyes full of hope.

"You think I stand a chance?"

Riveria almost rolled her eyes.

_Bless you child, I love you to death, but goodness are you dense,_ she thought as she smiled.

"I'm sure you have a chance," she replied.

Aiz, now reassured, smiled and turned back Achilles as he continued to explain.

"As such," the Olympian continued, oblivious to what was happening between Aiz and Riveria. "I thought it wise that he not turn into a blushing mess whenever a lady shows him any amount of affection. Adorable though it is, it could lead him to trouble in the future."

"What about trouble in the past?!" Hestia demanded. "Those are the same people who attacked Bell!" she pointed out.

"A fact which I was initially unaware of. The moment that I was, I immediately cancelled his training with them while also threatening them with destruction, as I'm sure you all can remember," Achilles countered.

This, in no way placated or calmed the ladies of Hestia familia, who were far from too livid to drop it.

"I thought you were better than this, Bell-sama! I didn't think you really were a philanderer," Lili cried.

Off to the side, Freya, now all but forgotten, smiled happily at the scene before her.

_If they turn on him, he'll have fewer routes to take and fewer safe harbors to go to, turning him in my direction,_ she thought, more and more glad with each passing moment that she had agreed to this meeting.

However, Freya forgot one important thing. When the chips were down, Bell tended to find a way to surprise everyone.

"Lili."

The firm, but not unkind tone stopped the rantings, snapped Freya out of her pleased thoughts, and dragged everyone's eyes towards the Rabbit Foot.

"I'm not a philanderer. I will never be a philanderer. That's not why I did that training," Bell stated.

Lili, and indeed everyone was a bit dumbstruck by the power in Bell's voice. Gone was the previous embarrassment and timidity, in its place was a strong, confident, and resolute voice from a man that looked upon his familia member with conviction, but also tenderness. He wasn't angry at her, he simply wanted something understood.

"I went because I understood it was valuable. And it was. Aisha helped me not only get more comfortable around women, but she also helped me understand a few things. She reminded me that a man doesn't let others lead him around. She helped me to understand that desiring a woman is not necessarily the same as being lecherous. And she helped me reaffirm my dedication to my goals by comforting me during a point of weakness. She didn't do anything inappropriate. She pushed me only as much as I needed to grow, and she was a friend to me when I needed one. For that I am grateful to her. In fact, I actually planned to go and visit her, in spite of Achilles's cancelling of the training, both to receive more training and to apologize for what happened."

That surprised the older captain, but not necessarily in a bad way.

_He's forging his own path. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. He was doing that long before I got here,_ Achilles thought with a smile.

"This doesn't mean I'm a womanizer. I'm not, and will never be. The only reason I will ever do any act like that will be because I love the woman I'm doing it with. So please, don't call me me a philanderer or womanizer. I'm not. I'm sorry I kept it a secret, I truly am, but I knew how you'd react and sometimes I need to do things that I know you won't approve of. This is one of those times. I can only apologize and hope you'll forgive me."

No one, not a single person in any of the three familias knew how to reply to that. None of them had quite seen Bell like this. Cool, yes. Heroic, definitely. But, putting his foot down, and doing so in such a way that was both so Bell, yet so new? Well, one could understand why numerous ladies with certain affections found themselves stuck between being mad at him and being absolutely star-struck.

Clapping saved everyone from the silence and they shifted their attention to Freya, who was positively beaming.

"Well said, Bell. Very well said," she put her hands down. "And you're absolutely right. You must forge your path ahead, doing what you think is right, even if others may disagree. However," she turned to Hestia. "If it makes you feel better, Hestia, I can vow that neither Bell, nor Achilles ever did anything during their trips to the Pleasure District. Both remain completely innocent."

The room fell silent again.

_Really Freya? Really?_ Achilles internally growled as he glared at the goddess.

"Both remain innocent?" Hestia cocked her head, then turned her eyes to Achilles, confused.

Soon, all eyes shifted to Achilles who looked increasingly displeased.

"What does she mean by that, Dad?" Bell asked, feeling like he was missing something.

Achilles did not answer, instead growling in annoyance.

Riveria thought on the words she had just heard and, after a moment, her eyes widened.

_No. He can't still be…._

Finally, Haruhime leaned over and asked the question.

"Achilles. Are you an innocent?"

The Olympian growled again, before shifting his eyes back to the goddess of beauty, who was smiling smugly.

"Was that really necessary?" he asked.

Her answer was instant.

"Absolutely."

Annoyed beyond reason, and feeling everyone's eyes boring into with enough intensity to start a fire, he finally threw his hands up in the air.

"Oh for the love of Heaven, fine! I'm a fifty-five, going on fifty-six year-old virgin. Fucking sue me!"

No one had been prepared for that declaration, and the room fell silent as they tried to figure out how to respond to that information.

There was one person, however, who was having an abnormal and, to put it nicely, interesting reaction.

_Achilles has never been with a woman,_ Riveria thought. _After all these years he remains innocent. Untouched. Unclaimed._ Before she knew it a delighted tingle passed up her spine as a possessive side of her that she didn't know she had roared one thing. Claim him.

She blushed as her heart began to beat erratically.

_Oh my,_ the elf thought.

Freya laughed, completely unaware of her elven competition.

"Achilles has always been a bit old-fashioned. No sex before marriage, and all that. And since we never married he has remained innocent all these years," she explained.

Achilles growled.

"Some of us have standards. Now, can we get back to the discussion at hand and stop discussing my sex life or lack thereof."

Freya seemed fine with this, even if she continued to smile teasingly at him, and everyone else was happy to change the subject, Riveria especially as she wanted to distract herself from these new feelings that were wracking through her body.

"Um, Freya-sama," Bell called, bringing the goddess's attention back to him. "I have a few more questions I'd like to ask."

"Of course, Bell-kun," she replied pleasantly.

"I was told that the grimoire I was given by Syr was actually provided by you. Is that true?"

That brought everyone back to the conversation as everyone awaited confirmation of Freya's involvement in Bell's life.

"I did indeed, it was to help your growth," she explained.

_Sheesh, she really is obsessed with the kid. She's really trying to dig her claws into him,_ Loki thought as everyone took in the confirmation they had been hoping they wouldn't receive.

"I see," Bell said, holding back on making a judgement until he asked his next question. "I was also told you provided me with a charm that saved me from Hyakinthos's Aro Zephyros. Is that also true?"

Everyone knew this was coming, but was still anxious about the answer. If Freya had indeed provided a protective charm then she might very well have prevented Bell's defeat in the War Games and thus ensured that Bell wasn't taken by Apollo and that Hestia wasn't banished.

Freya's smile grew just a bit.

"I did," she replied. "I will admit that for a moment I was tempted not to as, if Apollo had won, that would have provided me the opportunity to take you for myself while at the same time being able to portray myself as your savior. But, I knew then as I know now, how much Hestia means to you and how devastated you would have been had she been banished. Also, I did not want to risk you becoming a victim of Apollo's appetite."

A few people shivered at that, perhaps none greater than Aiz.

"I see," Bell repeated. "Then I must once again thank you, Freya-sama. You have helped me tremendously, and I'll never be able to express in words how grateful I am for your help."

Freya shivered.

_Then don't express it in words. Show me with action,_ she barely managed to keep herself from saying.

"It was my pleasure. It truly was. Seeing how much you've accomplished and how far you've come, is a reward by itself. Besides, had I not stepped in you wouldn't have rescued Haruhime, thus bringing her to my attention, and also protecting me from a plot by Ishtar. So, as far as I'm concerned, we're even," she said.

Seeing Bell smile at that, she knew she had said the right thing.

_A bit of generosity is a small price to pay to win his heart,_ she thought.

Once more worry began to eat away at the Hestia and Loki familia as they saw the doorway towards Bell being opened for Freya and with little resistance. However, perhaps in her self-assurance or perhaps with the aid of Bell's Luck skill, the goddess of beauty was about to make a fatal mistake.

"Is there anything else you've done for me that I should be aware of?" Bell asked innocently as he wondered if there was more he should be thanking the goddess for.

Freya continued to smile.

"There is," she said, and her opposing familias tensed as their concern grew. "I have provided you challenges since your arrival in Orario to help with your growth."

"Challenges?" Bell questioned.

She nodded.

"Yes. You remember the Silverback and the Minotaur you fought?"

Bell's expression turned cold.

"What?"

Freya did not notice the shift in tone.

"I Charmed the Silverback and Ottar found and trained the Minotaur you fought. These challenges were to help you grow and to help you overcome your fear."

And just like that, the board was flipped.

Bell's fists slammed into the table hard enough to break it, and everyone jumped as the young man suddenly jumped to his feet.

"You put Hestia and Lili in harm's way?!" he roared.

The Freya familia was instantly around their goddess, prepared to fight the enraged Hestia captain to the death if he dared try anything.

Freya was surprised by the reaction, or at least the sudden shift in attitude, but after taking a moment to collect herself, and realizing she should have expected it, she proceeded.

"I sought to help you grow. Unfortunately, that entailed the involvement of the two of them."

"Unfortunately? Unfortunately?! Hestia collapsed from exhaustion! Lili was bleeding in my arms! You call that unfortunate?! Hitting your toe on furniture is unfortunate. A bakery not having your favorite sweets is unfortunate. You put them in danger!"

The Freya familia, minus Ottar, looked ready to tear Bell's throat out for his tirade, not that they would have gotten the chance as Bell's own familia and the Loki familia were fully prepared to jump in if Freya's pets dared to try and stop his justified rant.

Bell was about ready to explode. Learning that Freya had put people he cared about in harm's way again was destroying any calm and good will he previously had. Indeed, he felt disgusted at himself that he even considered opening himself up to the goddess. That he might be open to her in the same way he was open to Aiz. To Haruhime, and maybe even to the other women in his life who were so much kinder and better than the goddess of beauty. However, he was stopped when a hand, once again, found its way to his shoulder, causing him to stop and turn.

"I'll handle it from here Bell. Take a moment to breathe and calm down," Achilles said.

Bell was ready to deny him. To say that he wanted to continue his attack against the goddess, but seeing the firm, but calm eyes of his father and recognizing the silent plea for him to not be overcome by his anger, he eventually relented, but only just barely.

The Rabbit Foot did not sit down as one would have expected. Instead he made his way over to Hestia and Lili, where he then proceeded to pull the two into his arms, and wrap them up in a very protective manner, while also silently saying to the goddess across the table: I dare you to try and take them from me.

The two ladies, having gone from worry, to shock, then to embarrassment, eventually, after sharing a look, decided to simply return the gesture and wrapped their arms around him and bask in his fierce and protective warmth.

"Well, Freya," Achilles said, after watching the scene for a moment. "It looks like you've screwed up."

Freya maintained her outward calm, though Achilles did not fail to notice that her fist had tightened once Bell had taken the two in his arms. She knew things had taken a turn, and she was not pleased.

"I wouldn't say so," she replied, her voice her usual seductive tone. "Bell asked me to be honest, and I was. Besides, had I not intervened, he would not have come as far as he has. As such, I cannot see my actions as anything but successful, even if it might not be a flawless victory," she replied.

The room was silent for a moment as Achilles stared down the goddess. Their footing was equal now as, no matter how Freya played it up, she had lost a lot of progress with her dear rabbit with her confession. However, she was far from out of the game, and Achilles meant to give her an unquestionable loss.

"Then perhaps you can answer a question for me."

"Of course," she replied with a smile.

"What would you have done if Bell had died?"

Instantly, everyone's eyes were on the goddess, wanting this answer more than all the others combined. Unfortunately, and to their shock, her smile grew.

"I would have followed him to Heaven."

Only the Freya familia were unsurprised by her answer. They knew this already. She had made herself perfectly clear to them, and that was the greatest reason for their hate for Bell. That he was so important to her that she would abandon them for him. Only Ottar, who's love and loyalty to his goddess was beyond total, did not share this contempt. If his goddess wished to depart the mortal world, that was her right to do, and he would support her fully.

"You would follow me to Heaven?"

Everyone turned to Bell, who, though still holding onto Hestia and Lili, now directed his gaze at the goddess of beauty.

"Immediately," she answered instantly.

"You would abandon your familia to follow me?" he pressed, a noticeable trace of disbelief in his voice.

"Yes, Bell. You're that important to me. And I'm sure they would manage without me," she said signally to her familia. "They're the strongest in Orario. I'm sure even without me watching over them they would overcome whatever challenge faced them, even if they would never love their new god or goddess as much as me."

A deep pain and hatred filled the eyes of the Freya familia. Pain from the thought of losing their goddess, and hatred towards the one who might steal her away from them.

Bell was silent for a time, every second dragging on longer and longer as everyone waited for his response.

The young captain squeezed Hestia and Lili as he stared down Freya, causing them both to look at him with even more worried eyes.

_Bell-kun._

_Bell-sama._

Finally, he spoke.

"If you are trying to win my heart you are going about it the worst possible way."

"And what would win your heart, my dearest Bell?" Freya asked, seeing an opportunity to regain the ground she had lost.

Bell finally pulled himself away from the two ladies of his familia, both instantly missing his warmth, even if the moment that just had would be one they would treasure forever.

"If you want to have any hope of ever winning my heart, of even having the lowest chance of me opening myself up to your affections, Freya-san." The Freya familia nearly jumped over the table at that blatant disrespect. "Then there's two things you need to do."

"And those two things are?" she said, her voice a tad desperate at not only the perceived chance, but also at hearing the power in his voice.

"First. Never, **Never**, put my familia or anyone I care about in danger again," Bell stated, his voice somewhere between a growl and a roar.

"Done," Freya replied instantly. "I only ever did so in order to see you grow, but I do not see it as necessary anymore. Not only have you already reached level five, but, far more importantly, you have gained confidence. Confidence strong enough to stand up for yourself and confront others when you think they're in the wrong. Allen," she signaled to the catman who growled. "Achilles," she turned to the captain. "And now you're even willing to defend yourself against Hestia and myself. As such I see no reason to concoct challenges from you. They will come naturally and in time. So, I swear, I will never intentionally put your familia or anyone you hold dear in harm's way again," she vowed.

_Intentionally,_ Achilles scornfully noted.

"Now what is the second request?" Freya inquired.

Instead of answering her, Bell began to retell a story.

"A few months ago, Hestia and I were in a village outside of Orario. While we were there we talked about a fear I have." Everyone was suddenly more invested. "The fear of being left behind or of leaving someone behind," he explained. "At the time I thought my grandfather had died and the hole his death left in my heart hurt me like nothing up to that point had. I missed him so much. Hestia saw this and understood that that was why I was so afraid of ever getting close to her. She understood that I couldn't bear the thought of leaving her behind like I had been. Of giving her that same hole in her heart. And do you know what she said?" Bell smiled, a few happy tears coming to his eyes. "She said that no matter how long it took, she would always find me. That's why she is, and will always be, my goddess."

The other members of the Hestia familia all turned their eyes to their goddess whose eyes were now filled with happy tears as she smiled at her captain with blinding joy as she found herself falling in love with him all over again..

"So," Bell continued, finally getting to the point. "If you want to have any hope of earning my affection, I want you to make that same promise. I want you here and now, to swear that you will never inflict the pain of being left behind on your familia. I can't say that they and I are ever going to be friends, but I can tell them love you just as much as I love Hestia, thus if you abandoned them, even for me, I would never be able to forgive you. So, promise, here and now, that, should I die, you will look for me, just like Hestia promised, and ask me to join your familia. Do that, Freya, and there's a chance, just a chance, that I might, one day, return your feelings."

Achilles listened to his son's words and while he couldn't say that he was happy that Bell was providing an opportunity for Freya to claim his heart, he both understood that this was, ironically, Bell's kind heart at work and was impressed with the firmness he put down his deal.

_Now let's see if she accepts and, more importantly, if she can actually uphold it this time,_ the Olympian thought.

Achilles was not the only one impressed by Bell. Everyone was amazed by what they had just bore witness to. Even the Freya familia was stunned. Given their hatred and displayed animosity to the young man, they never would have expected him to come to the defense of their feelings. They had, after all, actively sought to hinder, humble, and even hurt him, yet here he was, effectively defending them and their affection for their goddess. It wasn't enough to make them like him, their scorn and jealousy with regards to the young man was too profound, but even they could not help but feel a modicum of appreciation for him after his proclamation.

The most impressed, however, was Freya herself. Indeed, at this very moment, she was having to restrain herself from jumping the boy after the display of confidence, power, and inner strength he had just given her. It was titillating to the point of mind-numbing bliss.

_Once more he challenges me. Directly and without fear. Gods, no one has so thoroughly captured my attention or heart and I doubt anyone else will._

"I accept your deal, Bell. Happily and unreservedly," she said.

The Hestia captain nodded.

"Alright. Then there's a chance. A small one, but it does exist," he said.

"I understand," she replied, overjoyed that she had regained some of the lost ground.

_And it wasn't even difficult to agree to. If this gives him some comfort, I'll happily accept. A little white lie never hurt anyone. Besides, should he die, and I follow him to Heaven, I'll have all eternity to win him over and enjoy the fruits of his adoration,_ she thought contently.

The deal made and calm having returned to the room, it was Haruhime who now came forward.

"May I ask a question of you, Freya-sama?" the sun-kissed renard asked.

Suddenly being addressed by the newest object of her affections, Freya turned and smiled at the fox girl.

"Of course, my dear."

Blushing at the affectionate display, Haruhime nonetheless pressed forward.

"What exactly is it that you wish from us? What is the, I believe the term is, endgame?" she inquired.

"What a lovely question, Haruhime. I'm happy you asked," Freya replied, eager to answer. "My dream or 'the endgame' as you put it, as I envision it, is the four of us, all together in bed, blissful and warm, so delightfully warm, without a shred of pain or worry, beyond what to do about our exhaustion."

Haruhime blushed terribly at the vision presented and its suggestive nature, with a few others joining her with their own red cheeks as the idea filled their minds. A few were outraged at the idea, namely Hestia who looked ready to tear Freya's hair out for what she said, barely being restrained by a blushing Mikoto, while a blushing Welf restrained an equally upset Lili.

However, one person noticed there was a suggestion in her words. A silent implication. One that he did not like one bit.

"Freya," Achilles said lowly, his brow scrunched and eyes lowered in a glare. "What precisely are you suggesting? Because it sounds like you're suggesting that the three of us, me, my son, and the girl I think of like a daughter, will be romantically involved."

The whole room stopped, except for one goddess and her growing smiling.

"Well, I know very well that you and Bell don't, 'swing that way' as the saying goes, but I see no reason that you and Haruhime couldn't be intimate."

Jaws dropped, eyes widened, and a sick feeling entered numerous guts.

"What?" Achilles threw back, not believing his ears.

"Oh come now, Achilles, don't tell me you've never thought about it. Those beautiful emeralds looking up lovingly at you as she gasps out, 'Daddy.'"

Haruhime fainted instantly, and nearly half the room was on the verge of losing the contents of their stomachs as Freya spelled it out.

"That's…! That's…!" Hestia tried.

"Nasty even for you," Loki finished for her.

"Why? Surely such a loving and passionate display as would surely be created would be a wonderful spectacle."

"There's kinks, Freya, and then there's that!" Loki threw back.

Everyone in the Hestia and Loki familia were in agreement with her on that, at least the ones that were still conscious. Bell was barely holding on himself as the suggestion had smacked right into his remaining innocence and sent a wave of horrified disgust through him.

_She wants the two of them to…_

He couldn't even finish the thought.

_Oh gods, Dad!_ he realized and shot his head around.

Snap!

Everyone blinked and slowly turned to the noise. The moment they did so, they found Achilles, sitting at the table, looking calm and unmoved as a statue. For a few seconds, they all wondered what they had just heard, until they looked down and found the fingers of his left hand bent at an angle they definitely weren't supposed to be bent at.

_He broke his own fingers!_ Riveria thought horrified.

"Sorry about that," Achilles replied calmly. "I needed to distract myself from the image in my head and this seemed like the most direct way to do that."

"Is it really such a horrible idea to you, Achilles-kun?" Freya questioned, more amused than anything.

Achilles didn't answer her, instead he turned to Bell.

"Bell, if there's ever even a suggestion that I will lay a hand on Haruhime in a lewd or lascivious manner, I want you to cut off that hand. Okay?"

Shocked by the request, it took a moment for Bell to reply.

"Um...o-okay," Bell agreed, not sure how else to respond.

"Thank you," Achilles said. "Now, given how much we've discussed, the fact that Haruhime's unconscious, and half of us are at risk of vomiting, myself included, I think I should call this meeting to a close."

Freya laughed.

"Very well. I believe we've discussed all we've needed to anyway."

"Needed to and most certainly _did not_ need to," Achilles growled.

While the meeting's end was sudden, no one could find any need to argue for continuing, with most being happy to be getting some distance between them and the lecherous goddess that had made them all feel like they needed a very long bath.

* * *

"What's this about?" Revis demanded.

"Always so ferocious. We simply must teach you manners one of these days," Enyo replied.

"Get to the point," she threw back.

"Very well," the masked figure replied. "A meeting has been called for all the gods tomorrow."

"So?" the redhead asked.

"A meeting of such magnitude is not just called, my dear. Something is happening and it's of some importance."

"I'm still not following."

"That's why you are a follower and should keep your mouth shut and listen," Ein cut in.

The redhead glared at her, but made no move besides that.

"There is potential here. An opportunity to advance our goals," Enyo explained. "We don't know yet what this meeting is about, but depending on the situation we may be able to gain something from it. At the very least, all the gods and many of their adventurers are sure to be distracted by this meeting, meaning we may be able to take advantage to advance our plans."

Now understanding, Revis asked the obvious question.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Make your way to the middle floors and wait for instructions. Deal with any threats you need to, but keep a low profile otherwise. Should the situation develop in our favor we will proceed to the next phase."

"That being?"

She could tell he was smiling behind the mask.

"For you to leave the Dungeon and head to Hearthfire Manor to find out where the Olympian hid our treasures."

* * *

And complete.

Another one bites the dust and we're moving right along into the next part of our story. Bell grows more confident; the tournament's on its way; Enyo's on the move; and Freya's nasty! Not that that's really all that surprising (especially given that I control this fic, but details details).

Anyway, please tell me what you thought. Did I miss anything? Does anyone/everyone seem out of character? I know that I sometimes miss things, even if it's just a small grammatical mistake or character detail, but I do want to improve, so please fill me in if I missed something.

With that said, thank you all for reading and I will see you all next time. So, until then, bye for now.


	27. Chapter 27

Hello peeps. Heh heh, last chapter was a weirdy wasn't it? Anyway, it's time for another chapter. Things are revving up as the tournament approaches and pieces begin to move. However, before we get to the next chapter, I once again, would like to quickly address another thing that people are bringing up.

**Note: So, people have brought up that the captains of the Zeus and Hera familia were level eight and nine respectively and that we now know of two, non-captain level sevens. I believe I have brought this up before, but I'll just say it one more time so it's perfectly clear. When I started this series that information hadn't been revealed yet, or at least hadn't been shared with me. So, I made it so that Achilles was the first level seven. This made sense to me as Ottar, "The King" was a level seven and the Loki familia members were constantly called monsters in the series. Having level eights and nines within living memory seems to negate the idea of the Loki familia being "monsters" as they are apparently nothing compared to the Zeus and Hera familia. That also brings into question how powerful the One-Eyed Black Dragon is and if I, say, made Achilles a level eight within this story from the get-go I feel like that would negate a lot of what we see. Why would Ottar be a real challenge to Achilles if he was a level eight? Wouldn't Aiz be easily batted away if they ever fought? How could Bell, even a rage enhanced Bell, severely hurt a level eight as a level four? Overall, within the context of the story it doesn't seem to work. However, if people would like me to go back and change him to a level eight so it fits better within the context of the Danmachi universe, I am open to the idea. So, if this is the case, tell me in the reviews or send me a message. If I get enough 'yay' comments, I will announce a poll next chapter to get an official tally. If the 'yays' outnumber the 'nays' in the poll by the time of the chapter after that, I will change it. **

Alright, with all that said, let's get to our story, shall we?

I do not own Danmachi.

* * *

"There's the village," the younger of the two women said.

"Good," the older replied.

The two women made their way into the village. Those they passed along the road all felt the strength the two contained and gave them a wide berth.

_Adventurers,_ an old man thought as he watched the two pass by.

"They're afraid of us," the younger one said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Of course they are. We are strangers here and people fear what they don't know. It's natural and foolish to take it personally," the elder said with a noticeable harshness that made the younger shrink back.

They arrived at an inn located near the center of town and entered.

There were a few people inside who turned when the doors opened, their eyes turning wary as the women made their way to the counter.

"Hello there," the woman at the counter greeted, smiling pleasantly as the two approached her. "What brings you lovely creatures to my establishment this fine day?"

The younger smiled, happy that someone didn't seem afraid of them. However, her companion was in no mood for pleasantries and simply got down to business.

"We are looking for someone named Ajax Brutus. Do you know where he is?"

The woman was surprised by the name dropped.

"Well I ought to, I am married to the big lug," she answered.

The younger woman's eyes lit up, as she optimistically thought the woman would be able to help them. The older woman, however, was not so optimistic.

"We'd like to speak to him," the elder adventurer said.

The inn-keeper's eyes narrowed. Whether this was because of the request or the tone that was used was hard to tell.

"What do you want with my big man?" she demanded.

The younger adventurer, noting the shift, quickly jumped in to try and calm the situation down.

"We're friends of his. From Orario."

The wife did not seem placated by this, but wasn't quite ready to throw them out.

"Alright. I'll go get him. But if he doesn't know you, or doesn't want to talk to you, I'm throwing you two out. I don't need some snarky adventurers causing me trouble in my own establishment."

The inn-keeper turned and disappeared into the back, while the older adventurer seemed completely unaffected.

"What if Ajax doesn't want to come?" the younger asked.

"He will," the elder replied immediately and without hesitation.

"But...what if he doesn't?"

The elder turned to her, eyes now holding a notable fire.

"This mission is too important to fail. We need Ajax in order to stop _him_," she growled. A shiver went up the younger woman's spine. "As such," the elder continued. "We get him to come using any means necessary. We can't let Aria's son get any more powerful."

The younger adventurer nodded, even if she felt sick to her stomach at the thought of what they would have to do.

The sound of movement caught their attention and they turned to see a large man, two heads taller than either of them and covered in muscle, walking in with a frown.

"Alright, whoever you are you got some-," he stopped when he saw who it was. "Imilce! Dido!" he cried out happily.

Before they could respond, they both found themselves being lifted off the ground in a massive bear hug, much to Dido's annoyance.

"It's good to see you, Ajax," Imilce said happily, relieved by the display of affection.

"Hello, Ajax," Dido greeted once they were put down.

"Still stern, even after all these years," Ajax said with a laugh, before he turned to Imilce. "And look at you! You must be beating the boys off with a stick with how beautiful you've become!" he announced, spinning her around as the younger woman laughed.

"Oh stop it!" Imilce cried, smiling brightly at the mountain of a man.

"So these are friends of yours?" Ajax's wife asked, stepping forward.

"Ah, Polyxo, let me introduce you. This lovely young lady is Imilce Iberia. She knows more about plants, potions, and poisons than anyone else."

"A pleasure," Imilce said, bowing.

"And the one with the frown is Dido Barca. One of the smartest people you'll ever meet. I swear she may have read every book in the world. The only one I ever saw beat her in book knowledge was my old captain, Achilles."

Dido's frown deepened.

"He's actually why we're here," she said.

Ajax gave her a curious look before she pulled out a letter.

"I'm guessing you received a letter as well."

He nodded.

"I did. Wasn't sure how I was going to answer though. As you can see," he pulled his wife to him and snuggled up to her as he gestured to the inn. "I've kind of set up camp here."

Imilce looked at Dido with worried eyes.

"I hope you'll reconsider," Dido said, her voice calm, but her eyes suggesting she wasn't about to take no for an answer.

"I'm not saying no, but I'm also not saying yes," Ajax replied with matching force. "Sure, it'd be nice to go back to Orario. I do miss it, even after living here for so many years. In a way it'll probably always be my home, but I'm not just going to uproot my family for nostalgia's sake."

"Achilles wouldn't have called on us if it wasn't important," Dido countered.

"You're probably right," Ajax conceded. "However, his message didn't seem to be some call for reinforcement either. Sounded only like he found some nice kids who needed a helping hand."

"That could have just been a cover."

Ajax laughed.

"You and I both know Achilles is an honest man. Brutally honest, sometimes. If he was having problems, he would have told us, not tried to be subtle."

Worried that the conversation would disintegrate if something wasn't done, Imilce stepped in.

"Orario is a wonderful place to bring your family. Food, fun, and no shortage of work. They'll love it, I'm sure of it. It is the center of the world after all."

"Is it?" Ajax asked. "Once you get some time outside its walls you begin to realize just how much the world runs without Orario, and how small and insignificant it is for many, if not most people."

Things fell silent for a moment. Neither of the women wanted to leave without Ajax, and he wasn't sure that going with them was a good idea.

A hand on his shoulder turned his attention.

"Your friends need your help ya big lug," Polyxo said gently. "We should join them."

All three adventurers were surprised.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "We'd have to pack up everything and travel for weeks to a place you've never been to and is very different from here, and you'd have to close the inn."

"Ah, you know my cousin has been bugging me to buy it for a long time. Won't stop yammering about the improvements she'd do. Besides, the kids would love to go to the place with all the adventurers and a few weeks on the road will be like our own little adventurer," she replied with a smile.

"You're...you're really okay with this?"

"I fell in love with you because you've got a big heart to match that big body of yours," she stated, patting his chest. "And that big heart wants to help out its friends. Besides, you think I'm not interested in seeing Orario, after all the stories you've told me about it?"

Ajax was still a bit stunned by his wife's words, but after a few moments of taking in her smile, he grew one himself and leaned down to kiss her.

"I love you," he said.

"I know," she returned. "I'll go tell the kids. They're going to flip once they hear."

Polyxo departed, allowing a smiling Ajax to turn back to his former colleagues.

"I guess it's settled then. I'm coming with you."

Imilce, beaming, quickly hugged him, causing him to laugh, while Dido nodded.

"Thank you" she said, a tad less sternly.

He nodded.

"Do problem, at least as long as the missus is okay with it. However, if you're looking to gather people, there is one person I think we should go see. That is if you're willing to make a bit of a detour."

Both Imilce and Dido gave him a questioning look.

"Who?" Dido asked.

* * *

The two familias walked through the halls of the Twilight Manor silently, no one daring to say a word or look at anyone else. The only semi-exception of this being Bell, who was carrying the unconscious Haruhime in his arms towards their destination.

They made it to their destination, Loki's office, and shuffled inside, with everyone naturally taking their places.

"That was…" Loki tried to begin.

"Yeah," Hestia agreed, knowing what she meant.

Bete growled.

"That was freaking nasty, that's what that was," he spat.

"Can't say I disagree. I know there's all kind of fetishes but..." Finn didn't finish, not that anyone blamed him. They weren't exactly comfortable either.

"Yeah. I mean, compared to her, Loki's a saint," Tiona stated.

"Hey!" Loki called, knowing a back-handed compliment when she heard one. "I just like pretty girls, I'm not promoting Daddy-daughter relationships!"

Achilles growled at that, but made no other replies.

"Lili never wants to be in the same room as that goddess ever again. And she certainly doesn't want her anywhere near Bell-sama!" she threw out, her and most everyone else turning to the rabbit-like captain.

"After all this, I am more than ready to agree," Bell said, sounding tired as he attempted to rouse Haruhime.

"Bell." The young man and the others turned to Achilles as he finally spoke. "You offered an olive branch to a woman who had wronged you in the past. True she may have also aided you, as this meeting revealed, but it wouldn't have been unthinkable for you to simply hate her. Many, if not most would not have blamed you for that. However, you once again showed the goodness of your heart by trying to understand a woman who's been playing with your life for quite some time. That's not something to be ashamed of and anyone who wants to give you grief for your decency and openness can speak to me."

Bell and a few others smiled.

"Thank you," Bell replied.

With the conversation now a bit more comfortable and seeing that Achilles wasn't about to fly into a disgust fueled rage, Riveria stepped forward.

"May I heal your hand now?" she requested gently.

Achilles looked at her for a moment, the memories of the recent conversation and the thoughts it had inspired flooding through both of their minds.

_Now she knows I'm a green-as-grass inexperienced brat,_ Achilles thought.

_Claim him!_ roared the new voice in the back of Riveria's mind.

Both shifted their gaze away as small blushes graced their cheeks.

"Thank you," Achilles managed as he held out his hand.

"Of course," Riveria replied, very happy to have the distraction.

Everyone else watched, most with amusement as the two played off each other, with a few barely managing to restrain a chuckle.

_Goodness, you two are acting like school children mixed with horny teenagers,_ Finn thought, shaking his head, but smiling amusedly.

_She wants him so bad. Hearing that he's unclaimed has awakened her instincts. She's found her man and now she wants to make him hers, body and soul,_ Tione recognized, proud of her elven superior.

_They're so cute, _Hestia thought.

_Go get her, Achilles. You've got a few decades to make up for,_ Welf said, smiling.

_He's almost there, Riveria. Just a little more and he'll give you his heart,_ Bell thought, happy for the two before him.

He was snapped back to reality by the feeling of movement in his arms. He looked down in time to see Haruhime's eyes flutter open.

"Thank goodness, I was beginning to worry," he said once she was fully awake.

The renard blinked a few times in confusion.

"Bell-sama? What's going on? Where are we?" she asked.

"We're in Loki-sama's office in the Twilight Manor. We had a meeting with Freya, remember?"

Things started to come back to the young woman, which, unfortunately included the reason she had fainted. Soon her eyes widened as she looked towards Achilles who caught her gaze. Immediately, Freya's words repeated in her mind, echoing worse than any of the noises she'd ever heard in the Pleasure District. That, plus her finally realizing that she was being held in Bell's arms was far too much for her and she promptly fainted again.

"Haruhime? Haruhime?!" Bell called as Achilles growled.

"Great, that's going to be a thing now."

* * *

The day after their meeting with Freya, Hestia was preparing to leave the Hearthfire Manor for a special meeting that Ouranos had called for all deities. Of course she and her familia already knew what it was about, courtesy of a certain goddess of beauty, but it was still important for her to go.

"Alright, I'm off!" she declared to her familia.

"Take care, Hestia-sama," Bell replied.

"With any luck it'll be over quickly. Given that it's a giant tournament the other gods may be less inclined to bicker," Achilles said.

"We can hope," Hestia wished with a smile. "Okay, I'll see you all soon. Try not to get in trouble while I'm gone."

Everyone knew the two that this particular comment was directed at and both captains simply laughed nervously and scratched their cheeks.

Hestia departed her home and made her way through the streets. The sun was out and warming her skin, with the occasional breeze passing through the streets to cool her skin, all of which brought a smile to her face.

_This is one thing that I love about the Lower World. In Heaven it was always perfect. Never too hot or too cold, but here you can get blistering hot and biting cold. You can get rain that threatens to drown you and snow that turns things into an icy wasteland, and because of that, you appreciate these nice days so much more. The sun, warming you to your core and the wind cooling your skin. This is my Heaven,_ she thought, her smile shining as brightly as the sun that now warmed her skin.

She arrived at the meeting and began looking around for friendly faces amongst the many deities present. Luckily, it did not take her long to pinpoint her best friend, Hephaestus, whose red hair and tall stature made it easy to find her, even in a crowd.

"Hephaestus!" she called out.

The smith goddess turned and, seeing Hestia, greeted the loli goddess with a smile.

"Morning, Hestia. How are you?" she asked.

"I'm fine. And you?"

"Fine as well, though I am curious what this meeting is about. It has something to do with Freya, right, and that talk she had with Ouranos and Ganesha?"

Hestia's face immediately soured at the mention of the goddess of beauty, causing Hephaestus to quirk a brow.

"What's wrong?" the red-head asked.

"Agh. My and Loki's familia had a meeting with Freya yesterday and it was just...ugh," Hestia shivered.

That only increased Hephaestus's curiosity, even if she knew that she should probably keep her hands off whatever was causing that disgusted face from her friend.

"Well, you can tell me about it later, Takemikazuchi and Miach are coming. And is that Soma with them?"

At the mention of the gods, Hestia turned and regained her smile as the three approached.

"Morning Hestia. Hephaestus," Takemikazuchi greeted.

"Morning, Take, Miach, Soma," Hephaestus returned.

"Good morning," Hestia added. "How are you doing, Soma? I've heard your familia's doing a lot better these days."

Soma nodded.

"We are," he answered quietly. "It took some time, but they're beginning to act like a real familia. It's...nice."

Everyone smiled at that, none greater than Hestia.

"I'm glad. You should come visit some time. I'm sure Lili would like to see you again, especially now that things are going well."

Soma smiled.

"I'd like that."

The sounds of movement caught everyone's attention and all the gods turned to see Ganesha and Freya walking into the room, the latter with her usual smile, which now sent a very unpleasant chill up Hestia's spine.

"Good morning everyone," Ganesha greeted. "If you'll all take your seats we will begin today's meeting."

The gods were confused for a moment, not only by the appearance of Freya alongside Ganesha, but his lack of his usual playful flare. However, they were intrigued as well, so the deities quickly did as requested.

Hestia and her group joined with the rest of the gods and goddesses and went to take a seat. They soon found Loki waving at them to come join her.

The goddess of the hearth, seeing the trickster goddesses, smiled, having felt a great deal more appreciative of Loki since she'd agreed to help her with the meeting with Freya. This did not go unnoticed by Hephaestus who found herself curious again. Her curiosity only grew when Loki herself patted the seat beside her for Hestia and her best friend took it eagerly.

"I'll jump right into it so as not to waste time. The reason for the meeting is because, as I'm sure you've all noticed, Orario has been on edge as of late due to the numerous incidents that have occurred within and outside its walls," Ganesha said.

"Hey, don't go blaming us!" one god called.

"Yeah, it's not our fault! We're just innocent victims!" another cried.

"Why don't you punish the ones responsible like Hestia and her crazing kid!" a goddess blurted out.

The instant defensiveness was expected of the deities, petty creatures that they could be, but neither Hestia, nor any of her friends appreciated the attempt to shift the blame.

"Calm yourselves everyone. It's cruel to blame Hestia for a little incident," a calm voice cooed over the voices.

All eyes turned to a well dressed and handsome god, smiling pleasantly at his fellow deities.

_Dionysus?_ Hestia thought, a tad confused that he had come to her defense.

Dionysus, feeling her eyes or perhaps simply knowing she was looking at him, turned and smiled at her. Despite her confusion, Hestia appreciated his defense and so smiled back and slightly bowed her head.

"Dionysus is right," Ganesha pressed on. "And neither of us," he gestured towards Freya. "Nor Ouranos are placing blame on anyone. We are simply here to offer a solution."

The god of the masses stepped back and allowed Freya to step forward.

"We need something that will distract everyone from their troubles and fill the city with excitement and optimism again. As such, we suggest that Orario have a grand tournament between all the familias."

Things were quiet for a moment, before the expected reaction occurred and the entire room was filled with cheers and noises of excitement.

"A tournament!"

"A tournament! That will be so much fun!"

"That will be great entertainment!"

_It's like the War Game, only ten times worse,_ Hestia thought as she watched her fellow deities go nuts.

As the immortal beings lost their minds, Hephaestus, Takemikazuchi, Miach, and even Soma, all leaned in towards Hestia.

"A tournament?" the smith goddess asked.

Hestia nodded.

"It was Freya's idea to try and get the city to calm down and focus elsewhere."

"Where were they focusing before?" Hephaestus inquired.

Hestia fists tightened, which was not missed by any of the gods, including Loki, who put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"We won't let anything happen to the rabbit," she said firmly.

A bit surprised, Hestia nonetheless soon smiled at the red-head jokester.

"Rabbit? Bell-san?" Miach asked.

Hestia nodded.

"Apparently since the incident with Bell's magic over the city some people have become afraid of him to the point that…" she choked up for a moment. "That they were planning to attack and even kill him."

That shocked her fellow deities.

"You can't be serious," Takemikazuchi said.

"Unfortunately I am. Apparently Achilles and Bell noticed, but didn't say anything because they didn't want to worry me and the others. Goodness, when will those boys understand that keeping secrets is what worries me?" she questioned with a dry laugh, even as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. After a moment, and a few comforting words and touches from her friends, she was able to continue. "That's why Freya suggested the tournament. Because she 'loves' Bell, she wants to protect him. The tournament is meant as a big distraction to get everyone's minds off all the recent troubling events."

Everyone nodded in understanding.

"Not a bad idea, if I may say so," Takemikazuchi admitted.

"No, it's not. But, given that this is Freya, we can bet that there's more to this than just protecting Bell. She's probably got something else she's working towards," Hephaestus pointed out.

Hestia nodded.

"That's why I'm hoping you'll all help me keep eyes on her and her familia."

Again, they all nodded.

"Of course," Take said.

"We'll help anyway we can," Miach added.

"Moocher you might be, but you're my moocher and no one's going to banish you or make you cry on my watch," Hephaestus stated.

Hestia smiled in thanks, only to be surprised when arms wrapped around her from behind.

"And where else am I going to find a chibi who's so much fun to tease?" Loki asked, smiling.

"Oh you," Hestia replied, but with a bright smile.

As Hestia and the others were talking, Ganesha pressed on.

"Of course, there are still details that we need to iron out and that's the other point of today's meeting. To come to agreement about how exactly we should run the tournament. We already have some ideas that should work for, but will be opening the floor to suggestions. If you can't think of anything right now, don't worry, the tournament isn't for a month and we'll be having at least one more meeting before then."

"A month?!" a few deities called out.

"Why not sooner?!"

"It was decided," Ganesha replied, holding up his hands. "That we wanted this to be as grand an affair as possible. That means, not only will it take time, but also that we hope that outsiders will come to Orario to see it. News takes time to travel so we are providing the outside world some time to learn of the tournament and come here themselves. As such, a month is, if anything, not enough time, which is why the Guild, and my familia have already taken the liberty of sending out notice of the tournament in every direction. With any luck, we'll soon have a wave of tourism and even new potential adventurers arriving at our gates over the next few weeks."

That placated the deities some, though not completely. They wanted their fun immediately, their immortality evidently not causing many, if any of them, to learn patience. However, the prospect of a wave of newcomers into the city did calm them some. New people meant potential new customers, new faces to smooze and seduce, and more adventurers to fill their ranks.

"So what are these rules?" Hermes called out, seeing that his fellow gods and goddesses had fallen silent.

"There are a few, so you should all pay attention," Ganesha announced. "Firstly, we need to make sure that everyone can and is encouraged to participate. So we must have both a kind of balance as well as proper incentives. As such, we were thinking…"

* * *

The meeting lasted for hours as the many different gods and goddesses threw out ideas and arguments in order to try and make the tournament as fun as possible, as well as get the most out of it for themselves and their familias. However, it finally came to an end and the deities began to file out, eager to tell their familias.

Hestia and her friends were preparing to exit themselves when she heard someone calling her name.

Turning, she and the others found Dionysus approaching them, a smile on his face.

"Hello, Dionysus," Hestia greeted. "Thank you for coming to my defense earlier. You didn't need to do that and I appreciate it."

"Of course," the handsome god replied. "It was unfair for them to turn on you since most of it was completely out of your control. Besides, I'd like to think we're friends."

Hestia smiled.

"Well, you're certainly better than some of the other deities I know," she joked.

Dionysus laughed, but he was the only one as all the other deities around Hestia eyed him with suspicion, especially Loki.

_He wouldn't just approach her without reason. What does he want?_ the clever goddess wondered.

"Thank you," Dionysus said, once he'd stopped laughing. "I also wanted to congratulate you on all your familia's success. You've really risen up at record speed. You even gained the Olympian. Honestly, I'm a little jealous."

"Haha, thanks. But believe me, he's been quite the handful."

"I can only imagine. Someone of his fame and caliber is sure to have brought a lot of baggage with him, no?"

There was something about the way he said that that made Loki's eyes narrow.

"Oh he's not so bad. If he was, I wouldn't have allowed him to join my familia, let alone allowed him to send messages to his old friends to bring me even more trouble."

That caught everyone's attention.

"Old friends? You mean the Zeus and Hera familia?" Dionysus asked.

"Yep. He sent letters out to the remaining members, asking if they'd like to join us, but so far he's gotten no replies. Not too surprising all things considered, but it would be great if we got a few more members, especially ones with such great experience."

Once more, Loki did not fail to notice how the pretty boy god tensed, just the tiniest bit, at that.

"Well well. It would certainly be wonderful to have more members of those heroic familias return to us. Even the lowest member was an inspiration to adventurers the world over," he replied calmly, his smile unwavering.

"Well, fingers crossed," Hestia said, holding up her hands.

"Fingers crossed," he replied. "Now, I think I've taken up enough of your time and I'm sure we're all eager to inform our children about this news so that we can prepare for what is sure to be a very exciting next few weeks. Goodbye for now Hestia. Hephaestus. Miach. Take. Soma. Loki," he said, not failing to notice the barely opened eyes of the trickster goddess, but smiling nonetheless before he departed.

Loki watched the handsome god leave, her eyes narrow and never once leaving him until he finally disappeared from sight.

_What's he hiding?_

* * *

It had been two days since the meeting announcing the tournament and the Hestia familia, along with their allied familia, were all training together in the backyard of the Hearthfire Manor.

"Again," Achilles instructed, his eyes trained on a sweating Bell.

The Olympian had made good on his promise to double Bell's training regime following the revelation of his rivalry with Asterios. That, plus the tournament ensured that Achilles went into full captain mode as he began to train the Hestia familia in earnest with the last two days leaving the familia bruised, battered, and exhausted, but undoubtedly more powerful and prepared for the challenges to come.

At that moment, Achilles was focused on Bell's swordsmanship training. He gave Bell a little reward for his hard work by inviting Aiz to join them and allowing the Sword Princess to be his partner.

The two had been going at it for over an hour, a true testament to both their stamina, but it was clear that the exhaustion was getting to both of them, especially Bell. Mixed with the fact that swords were not his primary weapon, it did not take long for Aiz to batter the sword out of his hand and have her blade pointed at his neck.

"Alright," Achilles said, clapping. "Time for a break. Go get some water and catch your breath," he told the two of them.

Both nodded, though Bell barely managed his, given his exhaustion.

The two grabbed some refreshments from a table they had been set up for everyone, before Bell went over to a shady spot under a tree and promptly collapsed. Aiz, with her awakened feelings and desire to be close to him both physically and emotionally, naturally followed.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?" she asked.

Bell, in spite of his exhaustion, immediately sat up and shook his head.

"I wouldn't mind at all!" Bell quickly said.

She quickly sat down, making sure to sit in front of him so that she could look at him.

"You're doing very well," she said. "Your swordsmanship is improving at an extraordinary pace."

Stunned and blushing a bit, Bell managed to smile and rub the back of his head in pleased embarrassment.

"Am I? I feel like I'm not making much progress at all."

"It can feel like that sometimes. There have been many times I've felt like that. Like...no matter how hard I pushed myself I was stuck. Like when your feet are in the mud and no matter how hard you pull you can't get them out."

"I have a hard time imagining that, Aiz-san. I feel...I feel like you can overcome anything. That no challenge or obstacle is too great for you."

Aiz felt heat come to her cheeks. Though she didn't fully understand it, nor its real meaning, the adoration he was displaying instinctively filled her with warmth and joy.

"Y-You really think that?" she asked, her voice barely more than whisper.

He smiled and nodded.

"I don't think there's anything you can't do," he assured.

The feeling of adoration grew, mixing with her own. It was soon joined by an interesting partner, determination, as his faith in her made her take a silent vow.

_Then I'll win your heart like you've won mine,_ she swore.

"Thank you, Bell. I can't begin to tell you how much that means to mean, but for what it's worth, I think the same thing about you."

Bell blushed, but gave her one of his very best smiles, before both of them fell into their own little world.

Not too far away, another blonde was watching the two of them, her eyes burning with her own fiery determination.

_I want you to try,_ echoed the words of Achilles from not so long ago inside Ryuu Lion's head. _Try._

"Try," she said to herself.

Taking as deep a breath as she could, she made her way over to the two before her.

Sensing her presence, both Bell and Aiz turned to the elf, with the former quickly smiling at her.

"Hi Ryuu," he greeted.

The smile and warm greeting caused the Gale's heart to jump, but she didn't let that, or the warmth in her cheeks stop her from enacting her plan.

"Hello Bell. Wallenstein-san." Aiz nodded. "I was wondering if you'd like to practice your swordsmanship with me, Bell," she said, pleased that her voice hadn't shaken during her offer.

Bell's head cocked to the side in a way that neither girl failed to think of as adorable.

"You'd be willing to train me?" he asked.

"Of course, and I think it would be beneficial. Aiz-san and Achilles-san are, of course, better swordsman than I, but my style is quite different from both of them and I thought it would be helpful to you to face an opponent with a different technique."

"I would love to!" he said excitedly, jumping to his feet. "That would be really helpful, Ryuu. Also, we've never really fought each other, which I'm really glad for," he quickly added, still smiling. "And I know how strong you are so I'm sure I can learn a lot from you."

Blushing at the unrestrained praise, something which was not unnoticed by Aiz, Ryuu, nonetheless, pushed forward, glad that she had accomplished her goal.

"Thank you, Bell. As the captain of my familia and as the man I respect most, your high praise means a great deal to me," she said, giving him a warm smile.

Bell's smile faded as he took in her smile. Something about it seemed...different. Not unpleasant, just...different.

_She does have a nice smile though._

"Shall we?" Ryuu offered.

"O-Oh...yes! Of course!" he said, snapping back to reality. "I'll talk with you later, Aiz-san," he said, giving her a smile.

"Alright," Aiz replied, her eyes quickly shifting back to the departing elf as she instinctively realized what was going on.

_She wants Bell too._

Had this been a few days earlier, before Riveria's comforting words and her own vow, Aiz would have fallen into a feeling of inadequacy. Ryuu, after all, was very pretty, and she was an elf, something she'd heard that many men liked. How could she compare? However, her vow taken and with the backing of an elf of her own, she silently stood firm.

_I won't lose to you or anyone._

Bell and Ryuu took their places opposite each other, Bell holding Dragonsbane and Ryuu holding her stick.

The twos eyes met and a silent signal was given, starting the fight.

Ryuu launched herself at Bell, knowing that in terms of raw power, Bell had her beat, and so she would need her entire arsenal in order to provide him a proper challenge.

Bell, meanwhile, understood the disadvantages he had when facing Ryuu. She was more experienced, extremely determined, and he was using a weapon that he was still getting used to. As such, he gave it his all from the outset. A fight with the elf required nothing less and Ryuu deserved his very best.

The two clashed, air blasting away from them every time their blades collided.

Again and again they struck out at each other, neither giving nor gaining ground.

_She's like a combination of Dad and Aiz. Powerful yet graceful,_ Bell thought, as he began to get comfortable with the opponent before him. However, unbeknownst to him, this was exactly what Ryuu was waiting for and, instantly recognizing the signs of comfort, she suddenly switched her tactics and threw a pair of knives at him.

Bell's eyes widened and he had to retreat to dodge the blades. This gave Ryuu time to get behind him and he barely managed to block a strike to his back, the force of which sent him flying back a few feet.

_I was wrong, she's different from Dad and Aiz,_ Bell quickly recognized. _Whereas Dad and Aiz would use power or speed to push through a challenge, she'll switch tactics to keep her opponent off balance. Ryuu's…,_ he thought for a moment, a smile soon forming once he found the right word. _She's agile. Agile and strategic. Something completely different._

Perhaps it was his past experience with Asterios and knowing the feeling of having a proper challenger, but the prospect of a new, powerful opponent, made him really happy. The fact that they were someone he already respected and cared for only made it better and he got ready for the next stage of the fight.

Ryuu saw all this and smiled herself. The fact that the young man who had earned her heart was such a determined and courageous person on top of his kindness was just icing on top of an absolutely wonderful cake. A cake that she now fully intended to get a slice of.

_Time for the next step,_ she thought.

Ryuu restarted her attack, this time mixing up her attacks with knives, kicks, and her entire arsenal to push Bell as far as she could, and both the young man and the elf loved every minute of it.

Finally, exhaustion caught up with them and the two stopped, breathing heavily as they smiled at each other.

"Well done, Bell. Your skill with the sword is nothing to disregard. You took all the punishment I threw at you. Makes me glad that I did not fight you with your primary weapons."

"Thank you, Ryuu," he said, smiling brightly. "I'm glad I got the chance to spar with you. You really are a great fighter and there were times that I was sure you had me."

"And yet you adapted and overcame. That's very commendable. I've known adventurers who've been diving into the Dungeon for over a decade that can't manage that. That said, I do have a bit of advice if you're willing to hear it," she said.

"Of course," he replied instantly.

"Alright. Hold up your sword."

Bell did as requested, taking the position Achilles had taught him and waited further instruction.

"Hm, your form is very good," Ryuu noted. "A proper guard, worthy of any proper swordsman. However, you're a bit stiff."

"Yeah, I've noticed that. The sword itself feels perfect. The only weapon that's felt as good or better in my hands is the Hestia knife. However, my body feels a little odd when getting into position. I've been working on it, but no matter how hard I try I can't seem to get rid of it."

"There's probably a few factors to that, including the fact that you're trying to force it," Ryuu stated as she got closer. "It needs to feel natural to you. That takes time, and it probably doesn't help that you're still thinking of the sword as Achilles-san's, correct?" He nodded. "If you don't take ownership of it, even temporarily, you won't be able to use it fully. Even so, there is a way to help with the stiffness that doesn't simply involve time and waiting."

"Really? What is it?" he asked.

His answer came in the form of soft, but firm hands landing on his shoulders.

The soft hands of the elven maiden now placed behind him began to massage his shoulders, causing an all new kind of tension to fill his body.

"R-Ryuu-san! What are you doing?!" he asked.

"One way I've discovered to ease the tension is by massaging the muscles," she said calmly, but secretly very glad that she was hidden behind Bell so that he wouldn't see her red face and ears. "If we can get your body to physically ease, it should help make using the sword easier and might even speed up the process of you taking ownership of it.

It made logical sense, he thought, but it was difficult to think clearly with her soft hands working his muscles, especially given it felt nice. Really nice.

"Please Bell. Try to relax."

Something about the way Ryuu said that, the softness he noted, caused Bell to turn. He finally caught sight of the elf who, feeling his eyes, turned her own up to meet his.

_Those eyes,_ he thought. _That softness. That warmth. Does she…?_

"I won't run away anymore," Ryuu said softly, but with an iron determination.

Bell's eyes widened just a bit.

_Oh._

He wasn't completely sure what to do after his discovery. What should he do? How did he respond?

_Simple. The same way you decided to confront Hestia's and Haruhime's feelings. Don't run away from them. _

And that was that. As simple as it seemed, the moment Bell vowed not to run away from the feelings of the women whose hearts he unknowingly won, he felt better and more confident. His heart still belonged to Aiz, but he wouldn't push the others away because of that. Besides, if recent feelings and thoughts were any indication, it wasn't entirely impossible for his heart to grow fond of another, even if that led to a whole host of potential new problems.

Now having his answer, Bell calmed down, the tension dropping from his body and he smiled at the elven maiden.

"Thank you," he said.

Now it was Ryuu's eyes that widened before a smile of her own grew on her lips.

"Of course," she replied, getting back to work.

She understood that the distance between her and Bell was still great, she wasn't a fool after all. He was willing to accept her feelings, but that did not mean he returned them. His heart still belonged to Aiz Wallenstein, but the distance was now one step less than it was before and she was determined to take all the steps that were required in order to fully close the distance.

_I won't run away ever again. I will place myself by his side no matter what or who gets in the way. Besides, I already know he has a thing for blondes._

Naturally, the series of events did not transpire in a vacuum. Everyone had seen everything that the two had done, even if Bell and Ryuu had failed to recognize that fact.

Aiz had seen it, and had vowed again not to give up on her rabbit.

Lefiya had seen it and, though a bit mortified by the display of affection, had cheered on the elf who had lifted her spirits not long ago, vowing herself that she would redouble her efforts for her beloved Sword Princess.

Haruhime had seen it, and though she was a bit surprised by Ryuu's actions, she smiled, respecting her familia member for also seeing just how wonderful their fellow captain was.

Riveria had also seen it and, being next to Achilles, she turned to him.

"When you said there were other girls after him…"

"I meant there were a lot of girls, and they have gained the confidence to fight for him and," he turned to her. "Who spend quite a bit more time with Bell than your Sword Princess does."

"I am confident that the two will still find each other even so," she replied defiantly.

"But not as confident as you were," he countered, causing her to glare at him.

Lili had also seen the moment between Bell and Ryuu and instantly understood what it meant. A wave of jealousy hit her, demanding she intervene to stop the display before her. However, she managed to restrain the bitter emotion as her own promise played in her mind.

Her patience paid off as, not long after, Bell and Ryuu broke apart and Lili, seeing an opportunity, quickly jumped on it.

"Thank you, Ryuu," Bell said, his voice gentle and tender.

"You're very welcome, Bell. I am always here when you need me," she replied, her own voice just as tender, matching her tender smile.

"Bell-sama." The Hestia captain and his elven companion turned to find Lili standing a pace or two away and smiling.

"Oh, Lili. I'm sorry I didn't see you there," he said, both embarrassed and a bit worried she would be mad at him.

"It's no problem. Lili just had an idea that she thought up when she saw Ryuu-san helping you."

"An idea?" Bell asked.

"Mhmm. Lili realized that while she can't help you much with fighting and combat, she was very knowledgeable in other things. So, Lili was wondering, if you'd like her to teach you a little bit about items?"

Both were surprised, Bell especially, having expected her to be angry at him given the display that had just occurred.

Lili was well aware of this and felt a tinge of regret. She knew she tended to overreact when other girls got close to him. She just loved him so much that the idea of other girls being close to him was something she couldn't stand. But after her mental training with Achilles and her semi-confrontation with her beloved captain during the meeting with Freya, she both understood that her jealousy wouldn't get her any closer to her Bell-sama, and remembered that Bell really wasn't the kind of guy that went running after girls. He wasn't a philanderer or womanizer. He was too pure, too kind, and too good. Those two bits of information helped her calm down and reaffirmed her conviction in getting closer to the young man who'd saved her, given her a second chance at life, and claimed her heart.

"Really? Well...yes! That'd be great!" Bell replied happily.

"Wonderful. You can never know too much and Lili likes helping you," Lili said, giving him her best smile.

Bell turned back to Ryuu, smiling.

"Thank you again, Ryuu."

She smiled back.

"Anytime, Bell. Truly."

With that, Bell and Lili began walking away, but not before Lili's and Ryuu's eyes met, both saying the exact same thing.

_The battle is on!_

Off to the side, Achilles took a deep breath from his pipe.

_This is going to be a bloodbath._

"Achilles-kun!"

He turned and found Hestia waving at him from the manor.

"Shakti is here for you!" the goddess called.

"Shakti?" Achilles questioned out loud.

He made his way towards the manor, Riveria's eyes following him the whole way as she hoped it wasn't anything serious.

* * *

Making his way inside alongside Hestia, Achilles soon found Shakti by the entrance and greeted her with a smile.

"Morning, Shakti-san. How are you?"

"I am well, Achilles-san. Thank you for asking. I wish I could say this was just a simple social visit, but I've come here on Guild business. Ouranos-sama has requested your presence," she stated.

"Did he say what for?"

"Unfortunately no, I was only told it was important and to ask that you come as quickly as possible."

Achilles nodded.

"I'll tell the others where you are," Hestia said.

"Thank you, Hestia-sama," he replied. "I guess then we can go now."

The two adventurers made their way through the streets of Orario quietly for the most part, sharing a bit of small talk along the way and a laugh or two about past misadventures.

As they walked, Achilles once again took notice of the looks. The fear was still there amongst some of the populace. The suspicion connected to his son, and in a few eyes he noted the jealousy-induced rage.

His fists clenched, but he kept quiet.

_Grow a spine you cowards,_ he mentally growled. _How can some face death with a smile on their face and others act like contemptible sheep?_

He took a deep breath, not wanting to worry Shakti or get himself riled up to the point of erupting into fury.

_It didn't used to be like this. Joy used to be so easy,_ he thought sadly.

_Then I will help you,_ a voice rang in his mind. _I know you can come back._

His smile returned.

_Bless you, Riveria. I'll never be able to tell you how glad I am to know you and have you in my life. Then again…,_ a tinge of red came to his cheeks. _Maybe I will in a different fashion._

He was saved from any embarrassing recognition of what he was suggesting by their arrival at the Guild.

The two made their way inside, receiving more stares, but ignoring them as they made their way through the Guild all the way to Ouranos's chamber.

The god was in the same place and position he always was, looming over them in his throne, his eyes stern and unwavering.

"It's time for you to pay your debt, Achilles Caesar."

"Of course, Ouranos-sama," Achilles replied respectively.

"A few adventurers have been killed on level nineteen and twenty and more are missing. Normally this would not require any special mission, but the adventurers were killed by a bladed weapon, not a monster."

"A battle between familias? Maybe to get an edge before the tournament?" Achilles questioned.

"Possibly, but unknown at this point. However Fels received a report from the Xenos saying they spotted a red-headed woman on the nineteenth floor."

Achilles's eyes narrowed.

"Revis."

"Possibly. I don't want to take any chances. If it is indeed the one who attacked Aiz Wallenstein she is formidable and I do not wish to risk the lives of those within the city because we did not take this seriously. As such you will head down into the Dungeon and find the one responsible for the killings. If it is Revis, you are to do everything you can to capture her for questioning. If it is not Revis and just some other adventurer or adventurers, you may handle it as you see fit as long as you report back on everything you find."

Achilles bowed.

"I will leave immediately."

* * *

Achilles returned home in record time, courtesy of Lightning Steps and landed in the backyard where everyone was still training, though they stopped upon his sudden arrival.

"What did Ouranos want?" Hestia asked.

"He gave me a mission. Someone is killing adventurers on level nineteen and twenty and he wants to find out who and why," Achilles answered.

"He needed you for that?" the goddess questioned. "I'm not saying it's not important or shouldn't be taken seriously, but why not ask Ganesha familia?"

"Because it might be that Revis woman we met before."

Everyone's attention was fully caught at that name.

"I'll go with you," Aiz immediately offered, desiring to confront her rival again.

"No," Achilles replied quickly. "For you this is personal. As experienced and powerful as you are, Aiz, I want this to be a purely professional affair. Besides, Ouranos-sama gave this mission to me, no need for anyone else to get involved."

Aiz looked a bit downcast, but seemed willing to accept his words. This was, in no small part due to her recent promise and not wishing to be separated from the young man whose heart she desired to claim.

"Even so, it would be wise to have someone go with you and my familia is the one that has the most experience with her," Finn said.

Achilles turned to him and met his eyes.

The Olympian wasn't a fool. He knew this wasn't simply a friendly offer. As close as their familias were, they were still technically rivals and Finn did not fully trust the ex-captain, especially not after his threat against Finn's familia.

_He wants to keep an eye on me at the very least and I suspect he's completely willing to remove me if the circumstances are right,_ Achilles thought with no animosity or anger. Even so, that didn't mean he exactly had to go along with Finn's plans.

"I'm sure I'll manage," he said.

Finn frowned, but any potential argument was ended by a new voice.

"I'll go."

Everyone turned to Riveria.

"I have enough experience and knowledge about Revis to warrant my inclusion and you could do with having a mage with you if this is an attempt at an ambush."

"My magic is more than adequate," Achilles countered.

"True, but mine is stronger and would be useful if the need for crowd control arises."

The former captain of Zeus familia was silent for a moment. A part of him still wanted to deny the help, not because it was a bad idea to have someone come along with him, but because he understood that Riveria would inform Finn about everything that transpired and he knew that the more information the prum had, the more likely he was to be a major problem should their alliance disintegrate. However, seeing the soft, warm eyes of Riveria staring at him, the tiniest amount of hope and pleading hiding amongst her beautiful emeralds, he found himself unable to deny her.

"Alright. Gather whatever you need and meet me at the Dungeon," he relented.

The joy he saw in her eyes immediately made his capitulation worth it.

"I'll meet you there."

The elven beauty quickly departed as Achilles sighed. He knew what came next.

Spinning around to meet the stares currently burning into him from all sides along with the teasing and shit-eating grins he expected to find and quickly held up a finger.

"Shut up. Shut up. Shut up," he ordered, trying and failing to keep the red from his cheeks.

This only served to make the smiles grow, which in turn caused him to growl and turn away to get ready himself.

"Enjoy your date!" Tiona called, causing Achilles to tense and laughter to erupt from behind him.

Achilles arrived first, having sped through packing in order to distance himself from the smirks and teasing eyes at home and used the time to calm himself.

_Heaven above, what am I? A school boy with a crush?_

He did not have to wait long as Riveria soon arrived, smiling pleasantly at him.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," she said.

"No problem, I got to enjoy a moment of peace and quiet for once, which seems very rare these days," he replied.

She laughed.

"I know what you mean."

He smiled, glad to hear her laugh.

"Well. Let's be off," he said.

"Lead the way."

The two great adventurers made their way into the Dungeon, neither knowing what exactly they'd find there, but both feeling more confident with the other by their side.

* * *

Done. Geeze, that took a lot longer than I expected it to, my sincerest apologies. Sometimes things just don't seem to flow as well as I'd like

Anyway, enough excuses. Please, tell me what you guys thought. Also, if you have any questions, suggestions, or requests, feel free to either review it or send me a message, I do read both and I love hearing back from you guys, and that includes the criticisms. I've been able to make numerous corrections courtesy of some problems people have pointed out and, on at least one occasion, the criticism actually made me laugh, so shoot away.

On that note, InsantMakaioshin pointed out a mistake I had made with regards to the necklace and grimoire in the last chapter with regards to chapter 21. So, thank you for that, and it is now corrected.

With that said, I'll bid you all a fine farewell. So, until next time, bye for now.


	28. Chapter 28

Hello everyone, and welcome back! Thank you very much for the reviews and replies to my inquiry last chapter, I do appreciate it. It appears that most of you think it's fine to keep Achilles as he is, if only because we're so far down the road now that it's kind of pointless to change. As such, I will be leaving him alone/as he is.

That said, it's time for us to delve into the Dungeon alongside Achilles and Riveria and see what they discover both about Revis and about each other. So let's begin.

I do not own Danmachi

* * *

Achilles and Riveria made their way down the Dungeon, easily dispatching the upper floor monsters that were foolish enough to attack them.

"Thank you for taking me along, Achilles. I know that Finn was pressuring you, but I am glad you accepted my request," Riveria said.

"Ah well, it wasn't a bad idea to have someone else come along, this is quite likely an ambush, possibly even one specifically for me, but I am well aware that Finn has plenty of reasons to distrust me."

"He's just playing it safe, but he does think of you as a friend. We all do," she replied gently.

"Thank you. I know I've been more than an extraordinary asshole since I've come back but I am trying to be better. I want-," he cut himself off when he realized what he was about to say.

"Yes?" Riveria asked, giving him a curious look.

A bit of red came to his cheeks before he sighed.

"I want to prove you right. About still being the old me. Deep down."

It took a second for Riveria's memory to replay their past moment together, but when it did, a soft dusting of red and a barely hidden smile appeared.

"You are a good man, Achilles. One of the best I've known. That's the truth. But you're still recovering from the loss of those closest to you and what I suspect and fear is a great deal of self-loathing."

He nodded.

"I can't exactly deny that."

Saddened by his confession, Riveria reached out and took his hand.

"Please, Achilles," she pleaded, looking into his eyes. "For Bell, for your new familia, and for me, don't hate yourself."

The gentle request and the soft eyes of the woman before him warmed Achilles like few things ever had. He wasn't sure he could completely let go of his self-loathing, at least not yet, his failure to protect his familia still weighed heavily on him, but he couldn't find it in himself to deny her.

"Well, with a request like that, how could I refuse?" he replied, his own voice soft and tender.

She smiled.

"Thank you, Achilles."

"I believe I should be the one thanking you," he countered.

She laughed lightly.

"Then I supposed we should both just be thankful."

His smile grew.

"I can agree to that. Now," he lashed out and destroyed a monster that thought to take advantage of their apparent distraction to attack. "I suppose we should keep moving."

"Lead the way," she said, still smiling.

* * *

The two arrived at level eighteen not long after, having cut through the top floors with the ease one would expect from two high-level adventurers.

"We should probably check with Bors to see if he has any information about the killings," Riveria suggested.

Achilles nodded and the two made their way towards Rivira.

They two arrived at the town and found its gates were being guarded by a pair of adventurers.

"Halt!" one of them called.

"What's going on here?" Riveria asked.

"Sorry, Nine Hells, there have been a number of non-monster related killings recently so Bors ordered extra precautions," the second guard explained.

"That's actually why we're here. The Guild sent us to find whoever is doing the killings and put an end to it," Achilles replied.

"Well, if that's the case then you'll probably want to speak with Bors," the second said. "I'll escort you to him."

As the three made their way through the town, Achilles and Riveria noticed the streets were empty.

"Everyone's at the inn right now. Two more bodies were brought in less than an hour ago and the number of missing adventurers has jumped to twenty, so everyone's a little freaked out," their escort informed them.

"Then we'd best hurry. At this rate another adventurer might be killed if we don't," Achilles stated, his voice firm but tinted with concern.

Both of his companions agreed and so picked up their pace.

They arrived at the inn and quickly made their way inside. Riveria and Achilles were instantly met with the sight of dozens of Rivira's citizens as well as adventurers who had likely been warned about delving deeper.

All eyes turned to them when they entered and neither Achilles nor Riveria took any offense to the suspicious glares they were receiving.

"This way," the guard said, bringing them towards the back.

The guard knocked.

"What?!" came the familiar voice of Bors.

The guard opened the door and the three walked inside, finding Bors and several other residents inside, all standing over two blanket covered bodies.

"Nine Hells. Olympian. What the hell are you doing here?" he asked.

Again, neither took offense. He was in a stressful situation.

"The Guild assigned me to find the one doing the killings and put a stop to them. Riveria is here to assist me," Achilles answered.

"Is that so?" Bors asked, his eye narrowed with skepticism.

He walked up to the two and eyed them both.

"And how do I know it's not one or both of you doing the killings huh? One of those kids over there was a level three. The other a level two. We even had a level four brought to us in pieces. Only a high level adventurer like yourself could tear through so many mid-rankers like a hot knife through butter," he looked down at Achilles's sword. "Is that what you used to do it? A quick slice and dice?"

"Bors, please," Riveria pleaded. "I understand why you're upset, but Achilles did not do this and I think you already know that."

"Do I? I don't know this guy. What he's like. But I do know he's strong enough to kill these kids!" Bors pointed towards the bodies.

_I'm strong enough to kill everyone in this village, I would have no need to hide myself,_ Achilles mentally noted, but obviously knew not to say.

"We believe it was the same woman who killed that level four from Ganesha familia a while back," Riveria stated, hoping the situation would de-escalate with that.

Luckily, that did do the trick as Bors turned his eye towards her.

"The red-haired one?" Riveria nodded. "Hm, I suppose that would make sense, though that does make me wonder why your familia hasn't dealt with her. Didn't you fight her multiple times?"

Before Riveria could reply, a growl pierced the air.

"Don't you dare try and put some sort of ludicrous blame on her shoulders," Achilles warned. "She is not at fault for this in the slightest and if you think I'm going to stand by and listen to you degrade her out of some sense of politeness to your situation, I suggest you reconsider _very_ quickly."

A tense silence fell over the room for a moment, Achilles glaring down at the leader of Rivira, daring him to try anything at the moment.

Bors was no fool though. He knew he couldn't win in a fight against the man before him. Sure he was upset and didn't exactly take kindly to the threat at the moment, but he also recognized he was being an ass.

"Alright. Alright fine. I'm sorry. It's just that this whole situation is shit," he growled.

"That's why we're going to put an end to it, all we came here for is any potential information you have," Achilles responded, his voice still more of a growl.

"Not much I can tell you. It all began a couple of days ago, at least that's when we first realized it. Adventurers started going down the Dungeon and fewer than normal were returning. A few of us were starting to get concerned so I ordered a search party to go down and see if they could find anything. That's when we found the first body. Cut up like a butcher had worked them over. It was clearly not a monster attack. The wounds were too precise. We knew it was a person. A strong one too. Someone who knew what they were doing. Didn't even look like the poor souls stood a chance."

"That sounds like Revis," Riveria said. "She managed to beat Aiz in her first encounter and held her own against Finn for a while. That was months ago and I have no doubt she's only gotten stronger."

"That's why I'm here," Achilles replied. "Do you have any idea where she might be?" he asked Bors.

"The first two bodies we found on level nineteen, but the next three we found on twenty. We think that the increased vigilance and patrols are making her more wary," Bors answered.

"Then she might have moved down to twenty-one by now," Achilles said. "Well, whatever the case and wherever she is, we'll find her."

_Or perhaps, she'll find us, _he thought.

"Good," Bors said. "When you do, give her a good one for me," he said, holding up his fist.

"With pleasure," the Olympian replied.

* * *

Achilles and Riveria made their way down into level nineteen silently, both a bit weighed down by what transpired in Rivira.

"I'm sorry," Achilles suddenly said.

"Sorry? For what?" she asked.

"For snapping like that. It wasn't helpful to the situation but...I couldn't let him go after you like that. You don't deserve any blame."

Riveria was silent for a moment, not knowing how to respond. This was only made worse when she replayed what happened at the inn and finally realized something about what had transpired.

_He defended me._

As much as she tried to resist, saying that it wasn't the time and she was being ridiculous, she couldn't help but blush at that.

_I am a level six adventurer, not some fairy tale princess whose honor is being defended by her knight!_

Even with that scolding, she couldn't help the warmth she felt at his actions.

"There's nothing to apologize for," she finally said. "In fact, I appreciate that you would come to my defense so readily."

"I'll always come to your defense, Riveria."

Both stopped.

_Where did that come from?!_ Achilles mentally roared, having spoken the words before his brain had caught up.

_Is...Is he...flirting?_ Riveria wondered, her own mind in just as much disarray.

It was lucky for both of them that they weren't looking at each other or else their embarrassment would have amplified to eruption levels upon seeing their companion's painfully red cheeks.

But, apparently some of Bell's luck had rubbed off on them as they were saved from any embarrassing conversation by the sudden appearance of numerous monsters. Both eagerly jumped on the distraction.

The monsters were dealt with in a manner befitting their station and the two, still very eager to not confront the embarrassing situation they had put themselves in, pressed on with all haste.

The two searched the nineteenth and twentieth floors, but discovered no sign of Revis, a fact that was not a great surprise, but did not exactly sit well with them.

"We'll continue to the twenty-first floor. Something tells me we'll be more lucky there," Achilles said.

Riveria nodded.

"I suspect you're right. As powerful as she is, I doubt that Revis is comfortable with taking on large groups of mid-tier adventurers and so probably put some distance between herself and the eighteenth floor."

"That might be the case, but it's just as likely she knows we're coming and is laying a trap."

"Then we will keep our eyes open."

The two pressed on and quickly reached the twenty-first floor.

"It's too quiet," Achilles stated as they made their way through the level.

"You're right. There should be more monsters," Riveria replied. "Someone's killing them."

"Yeah. Now the only question is, where is our mysterious someone?"

"Wherever she is, we'll find her."

"I hope so. I don't like knowing this woman is-," Achilles stopped, when he felt a familiar presence and heard the sound of movement. "Well, someone has interesting timing," he said.

Riveria's eyes turned to where he was looking and her grip on her staff tightened as the very redheaded woman they were looking for, slowly approached them.

Achilles pulled out his sword, but did no more than that as Revis came closer.

_Is this a trap or is she just trying to be dramatic?_ he wondered.

Finally, when she was only a few paces away, Revis stopped.

"Achilles Caesar, where are the items that Zeus familia guarded?" she demanded.

_Items?_ Riveria wondered.

"Hello to you to," Achilles responded mockingly. Receiving nothing but a cold stare from the red-haired woman he continued. "They're far outside your reach."

"You will either tell me where they are or you will retrieve them for me."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because Enyo wants them."

"And…? I'm sure that there are many things that many people want. A child might want some candy, but that doesn't mean that they're going to get it. In fact, if a parent caves to their child's demands it's seen as irresponsible. This is a not too dissimilar case in terms of basic structure, only instead of candy, you want exceedingly dangerous items that I've personally swore to protect. In other words, Revis or whatever you're called, that would be a big 'no' from me."

Revis stared at him with cold, dead eyes.

"Either you give me the items or," dozens of viola burst out of the ground, surrounding the two adventurers. "I will force you to watch as they slowly tear apart and devour that elf behind you."

Riveria got into a stance and began to chant in preparation for the rebuttal she knew was coming. Yet, she couldn't help but stop as the unnerving sound of cracking, combined with a sudden chill, filled the room.

"That," Achilles growled, his eyes now nothing but a sea of electric blue while tendrils of lightning danced across his skin. "Was a very unwise thing to say."

That was all Revis needed and not a second later, the viola launched themselves at Achilles and Riveria.

"Walls of Lightning!"

A dome of light suddenly covered Riveria, protecting her from the viola who crashed against it, before bouncing off, falling to the ground, and bursting into ash.

Riveria didn't have time to be thankful for this as her eyes caught sight of Achilles charging Revis.

"Achilles!" she cried.

Revis was prepared and met his blade with her own. However, much to her shock, despite the many magic stones she had consumed in preparation for this fight, he was pushing her back. This shock was just enough of an opening for Achilles to force her blade down, grabbed her head and ram it into his knee with enough force to break her nose, before he unceremoniously booted her across the Dungeon room.

Revis crashed into the far Dungeon wall with enough force to crack it before falling pathetically against the ground.

_He's more powerful than I thought,_ she thought, wiping the blood from her nose. _But he will fall nonetheless._

She charged at Achilles and the two swords collided again and again, sending sparks through the air as two of the most powerful entities that Orario had ever seen battled against each other.

Riveria knew she was in a bind and had to act quickly. Achilles's Walls of Lightning had given her some breathing room, but that would evaporate instantly if she didn't get moving.

"Oh gentle spirits from the heavens, come to my aid and protect me from my horrid foes. Smite them with your divine grace and protect all that is good and just in this world."

She finished just in time as Achilles's spell wore off and the viola threw themselves at her.

"Pillars of Light!"

A dozen or so beams of blinding light suddenly appeared from above and struck down, piercing numerous violas and destroying them instantly. Riveria did not have time to celebrate though, as there were still many more and they were all eager to devour her.

Jumping away from one, she called out another spell.

"Burst with fiery color. Flaming Flower!"

The viola that she had avoided suddenly exploded, its body withering in agony for a few seconds before it burst into ash.

Yet still more came, forcing her to continue to dodge while throwing out the spells she could.

_I'm too slow. It's only a matter of time before they catch me like this. Only one option then,_ her hands moved to her cloak.

Achilles and Revis continued to batter against each other, scoring small hits, but nothing major. However, Revis knew it was only a matter of time before he found another opening.

_At this rate he'll overcome me, and soon. I underestimated his strength and endurance. I need to retreat for now, but,_ her jaw clenched as another powerful hit smashed against her sword and rattled her bones. _How do I get away? He's too fast to simply retreat from._

Her answer came when, out of the corner of her eye she saw something that provided her the perfect opportunity to counter-attack.

"Looks like she made a good snack."

Achilles's eyes widened and, foolish as it was, he couldn't stop himself from turning. When he did, his heart stopped.

Inside the mouth of one of the violas was Riveria's telltale white cloak and green clothes.

"River-!"

He was stopped from calling to her when a terrible pain entered his gut.

Turning and looking down, he found Revis's sword embedded deep in his gut.

"I told you that she would suffer if you didn't give me what I wanted," the redhead stated.

Achilles was silent, nothing but pain wracking through his body and soul.

_She can't be. Not now. Not when I was finally-._

"Flaming Flower!"

Both their heads shot around.

Riveria stood calmly in the midst of a group of viola, staff in hand, completely unscathed and looking like something from a legend. The only notable exception to her usual appearance was the fierce look in her eyes, and her outfit.

Knowing that she was too slow in her usual outfit, Riveria had quickly discarded her cloak and overclothes and now stood in what one might call her secret outfit.

She now wore a skin-tight black bodysuit that seemed to act more like a second skin than clothing. She always wore this under her other clothes in case she needed to get a bit more physical than was usually required. The bodysuit had numerous advantages. For one, it was very light and allowed her to move far more quickly and with greater flexibility. The substance the suit was made up of was also a bit of a miracle substance, providing both some level of protection and enhancing her magic. It cost a fortune, but she couldn't find it in herself to care at the moment.

"Pierce them with the icy knives of winter. Frozen spears!"

Several large shards of ice suddenly appeared and shot out at the viola devouring her clothes, piercing it and destroying it within seconds.

_I liked those clothes you filthy creature,_ she thought bitterly.

The relief Achilles felt seeing that Riveria was completely safe and sound could not be put into words.

_She's safe. She's fine. Of course she's fine you dolt. Riveria wouldn't go down because of some overgrown weeds,_ he thought, even as happy tears came to his eyes. Those tears only lasted for a moment, however, as he refocused on another matter. _Now,_ he turned back to Revis.

The redhead didn't have time to react before she suddenly found her head crashing against Achilles's sending mind-numbing pain through her skull. That was just the beginning though as a hand clenched around her throat and pulled her up to look him in the eye.

"You have officially pissed me off, so I think a little revenge is in order," Achilles growled before he thrust his sword into Revis's gut.

Revis gasped, the force of the blow not only piercing straight through her body, but knocking the wind out of her as well. But Achilles wasn't done. Still furious beyond measure, he quickly pulled the blade out of her, then cut off her left arm. Before she could cry out at the loss, his hand moved from her neck to her face and then he threw her against the ground hard enough to create a crater.

"If Ouranos didn't want you for information I would be taking your head right now. So instead I'll just be taking your legs along with your arm," he stated, his voice so menacing that, had Bell or Haruhime been there, they might have noted how he sounded like a villain from a fairy tale.

Revis, in agony and barely able to move, glared up at the Olympian, her eyes screaming her desire to kill him.

"Alright, let's start with the left leg," Achilles said, raising his blade.

He was stopped at the last moment when a viola suddenly came from the side and pushed him off its tamer.

"You annoying fucking plant!" Achilles roared before cutting the monster in two.

It was already too late though as Achilles had just enough time to see another viola grab Revis and disappear back into the hole it appeared from.

Rushing over to the hole and finding it empty, his teeth groaned as his jaw clenched so hard it was a wonder nothing broke.

Part of him wanted to follow, but he managed to remember his elven companion and turned to find her.

Riveria had managed to defeat nearly all the viola and not a moment too soon. She still had plenty of magic, but all the moving and hopping around had physically exhausted her so she was quite happy to see that there was only one monster left.

"Burst with fiery-."

She was stopped from completing her spell when a sword suddenly flew through the air and pierced right through the viola, destroying it.

Surprised, it took Riveria a moment to recollect herself as she watched the sword suddenly fly backwards and into the hand of Achilles.

"Are you alright?" he asked, walking up to her.

"Yes I'm fi-," Riveria finally noticed his injury. "Achilles! You're injured."

"Oh, right," he looked down. "That bitch cheap-shoted me. Nothing too major."

"Nothing too…" the man before her had a gaping gut wound that even now was bleeding profusely and he was acting like it was a paper cut. "Come here," she ordered with a sigh.

She quickly healed him, checking over the area to make sure everything was already before she finally allowed herself to relax.

"I'm guessing she fled?"

Achilles nodded.

"Yeah. Had her pinned to the ground before one of her little pets got in the way. She retreated down that hole," he said, pointing.

"Hm, then she could be anywhere now. It's unlikely we'll be able to find her today and we're both more than a little spent. We should return to Rivira, rest and resupply."

Achilles growled, wanting to catch Revis as soon as possible.

A soft hand on his cheek ended his rage in an instant.

"It's okay, Achilles. I understand, I'm not exactly happy either. She's attacked my familia multiple times, almost killed me, and now her pets have destroyed my favorite outfit," she joked, giving him a smile. "But we need to play this smart."

Achilles sighed and his head dropped.

_She's right. I knows she's right, I'm just really fucking mad that bitch got away._

Achilles began to look up, but stopped as something finally hit him.

_Holy shit._

Achilles, in the midst of battle, hadn't actually noticed Riveria's current outfit and now that he did, he couldn't stop himself from staring, nor even attempt to stop the blush that came to his cheeks.

Riveria, noticing the way he tensed up and his rapidly reddening face, quirked her head in confusion.

"Achilles."

His eyes snapped back up to hers, and she found herself stunned at how red he was.

"I'm sorry," he said, quickly turning away.

"Sorry?" she asked, even more confused than she was before. "For what?"

_What could he possibly be apologizing for now?_ she wondered, racking her brain.

He didn't answer immediately and a few seconds passed before he managed to quietly answer.

"I forgot how stunning you are under all those baggy clothes."

Riveria blinked. Then blinked again. Then her face burst into flames.

"O-Oh."

Still not looking at her, Achilles repeated.

"I'm sorry."

"N-No, there's nothing to apologize for. It's not like this is somehow your fault. If it's anyone's it's mine for getting rid of my overclothes!" she replied, her voice coming out so quickly that it was a miracle either of them understood what she said. "If anything, I should thank you for the compliment."

Achilles turned to her, eyes holding a bit of surprise.

"Well...you are very beautiful, Riveria."

Her heart leapt at that. However, any excitement she felt was quickly dampened as self-doubt decided to make an appearance.

"I'm sure I'm nothing compared to Freya."

Achilles's eyes widened.

"Don't degrade yourself like that! Don't you dare!" he demanded. "You are so much more than she is and…"

He stopped as his brain finally caught up with his mouth, but it was too late.

"And?" she asked, her voice quiet as a whisper as her hopeful eyes looked up at him.

Mortified that his mouth had once again gone off before he could figure out what he was saying, Achilles decided that, as embarrassing as it was, he needed to finish.

"Maybe it's the ears, or maybe it's just human men's fascination with elven women," he said, nearly crippled by the embarrassment his own words caused. "But to me, you're far more beautiful."

The Dungeon fell completely quiet. Not a single sound passed the walls of the great labyrinth as Riveria processed what she'd just heard.

"T-That can't be true," she finally said. "I-I...appreciate the attempt at a compliment of course, but you shouldn't tell such obvious lies, Achilles."

"What makes you think I'm lying?" he asked, gently, but confused.

"Because it's obvious you are. Saying I'm more beautiful than Freya? Goddess of beauty? The woman you love? Of course you can't be-."

"Riveria."

The force of his voice stopped it. It wasn't harsh, in fact it actually came across as gentle, but there was a power within it that commanded her to stop and listen.

He smiled tenderly at her.

"I don't love Freya anymore."

Riveria actually dropped her staff at that.

"You...don't...love her anymore?"

He laughed lightly.

"I'm a bit shocked myself. But...thinking about it, thinking about all that's happened, how easy it was for me to give you that compliment, I know now," he smiled brightly at her. "My heart no longer belongs to her."

Riveria was practically shaking now. She couldn't remember a time she felt so excited yet so vulnerable.

"D-Does…," she took a deep breath. "Does it belong to someone else now?" she asked, her heart thundering in her chest.

A light dash of red across his cheeks joined his smile.

"I think so, but I'm not completely sure yet," he answered honestly. "I think I need more time. That's why," he walked up to her and, before she knew it, placed a warm and oh so gentle hand on her cheek. "I'm willing to wait for you to tell me what I've been missing. Because I think, by the time you do tell me, I'll be able to properly reply."

Riveria's legs were undeniably shaking at this point as her eyes widened to borderline crazy proportions.

_He knows! He knows how I feel!_ she screamed mentally. _And...And he might...he might…!_

Achilles watched the realization hit Riveria for a few moments before he chuckled, leant down, and kissed her forehead.

"I can't promise anything, Riveria, but I do think that if you keep being your wonderful, beautiful self, that I'll find my way to you. If that's what you want."

_How am I supposed to reply to that?!_ she internally demanded. Luckily, no demand was required as Achilles used his magnetism to pull her staff back up and handed it to her.

"Come, let's head back for now. I think we both need the rest."

Stunned, but ecstatic to receive a distraction so her brain and face could cool down, Riveria happily, but quietly, followed after him.

* * *

Not a single word was said their entire way back to the eighteenth floor, nor was a single word shared when they re-entered Rivira. The closest to a word came when a few adventurers, noting Riveria's more revealing outfit, began to whistle and check her out. Achilles's response to that was to glare and growl at them, quickly dissuading them from any thought of approaching the elf.

They returned to the inn, where Bors and the others were waiting for them.

"Looks like you found something," Bors noted, his eyes gazing over the two of them.

Achilles did not fail to notice that his eyes lingered a bit longer on Riveria, a fact that he did not appreciate and so forced the one-eyed man's attention back to him, by explaining.

"We did. It was Revis. We found her on the twenty-first floor and battled her and some of her little vine creatures. I managed to severely wound her, but she fled deeper into the Dungeon before I could finish her. We're going to rest here for tonight then delve deeper to try and find her. That said, it should be safe to delve at least to level twenty-one now or as safe as it can be. However I would encourage large groups for now."

Bors nodded.

"Alright. I would have preferred to mount that woman's head to my wall, but I can recognize when someone's helped me out, so, thanks. You two can stay here tonight, half off," he said.

Achilles rolled his eyes.

_Couldn't make it free, could you?_

Riveria and Achilles followed after Bors through the inn until they came to a room.

"Because everyone's backed up here there's only one room available. Don't worry, it's got a double bed so nobody's got to sleep on the floor."

Both Riveria and Achilles felt the now very familiar heat of a blush return to their cheeks.

_We're sharing a bed. Great, _the ex-captain thought.

"Thanks," Achilles replied, though nothing about his voice indicated gratitude as he handed the money over to Bors.

The two, still a bit red-faced, entered the room and closed the door behind them, before they both honed in on the single, double bed.

"I can sleep on the floor," Achilles said.

"What? No. I could never ask you do that, especially not after you were injured," Riveria replied.

"You healed me, remember? Besides it won't be much different from sleeping rough in the Dungeon. In fact, it'll be an improvement in terms of temperature and safety."

"Achilles, don't be ridiculous. You'll sleep in the bed," Riveria said, her voice leaving no room for argument.

"Well I'm certainly not going to allow you to sleep on the floor," Achilles sent back at her, even putting his hands on his hips.

"Then...Then we'll both act like adults and share the bed. There's nothing wrong with that, it's simply the situation we've found ourselves in."

There really wasn't a way for Achilles to argue against that. She was right. They were adults and the situation really wasn't that bad. Hell, he'd done this before with others, even other women. Him and Briseis had shared a much smaller cot one time when they'd got caught in a blizzard. He still remembered how they'd had to cuddle up to each other to keep warm, Briseis cracking jokes about "not pulling a knife on her" in the night. This situation though felt so much different from those, because now he was sharing a bed with a woman he'd all but confessed to and whose feelings he all but told her he knew.

_This is either going to be the best sleep I've ever had, or the absolute worst,_ he thought.

"Alright, fine. I'll take this side, you take that side," he said.

Riveria, glad that some progress had been made in their embarrassing situation, nodded and got on the other side of the bed.

"Do you want me to get us some food?" Achilles asked. "It'll be overpriced, of course, but it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to fill our stomachs."

"I think it's more imperative that we rest for now. We'll get some food in the morning before we head out to find Revis."

He nodded.

"Alright. Then, goodnight," he said, before getting on the other side of the bed.

"Goodnight," she replied and closed her eyes.

A minute passed in silence before Riveria finally admitted.

_There's no way I can fall asleep like this._

Her eyes opened as she struggled to calm her racing mind and thundering heart.

_He's not in love with Freya anymore and he might,_ she took a deep, but shaky breath. _Be in love with me. Maybe._ _I'm not sure how to take that. After all this time I might finally,_ she turned and looked at the back of the man who owned her heart. _Finally be with him._

A sudden chill passed up her spine and she shivered.

_I forgot how cold it was without my overclothes and cloak,_ she thought as she wrapped her arms around herself.

Then an idea appeared. It was a crazy idea, at least to Riveria it seemed like one. However, after the events of that day, she couldn't help but like it.

_Maybe it's time to be bold._

"Achilles?" she called.

"Yeah?" he asked.

_Good, he's still awake._

"It's a bit cold in here, isn't it?"

"Hm, I suppose it is," he agreed. "Can't expect too much from this place, I guess."

"I suppose not. However, I was wondering if…" she swallowed. "If you'd be willing to allow me to move a bit closer."

She heard the sound of movement and felt the bed shift.

"Closer?"

"To share body heat. Without my usual clothes I find myself a bit more affected by the cold."

Things fell quiet between them again as she awaited his response.

_Please. Please._

"I...suppose that's fine," he finally said.

A giddy smile that no one would expect from the near century old elf appeared on her lips and she quickly scooted closer to him, not giving him a chance to reconsider his permission.

She shifted until her back touched his and she barely managed to restrain a laugh as she felt him tense.

"Thank you," she said.

"Y-You're welcome," he replied.

Things fell quiet again as Achilles tried desperately to fall asleep, but failed, while Riveria pondered if she should push her luck.

_What's that saying? Go big or go home?_

Resolved, she spoke up again.

"Achilles?"

He did not reply immediately, and she wondered if he was trying to pretend he was asleep.

_It won't work, I can tell by your breathing that you're still, very much, awake._

"Yeah?" he finally asked, probably recognizing this fact.

"I'm still a bit chilly," she stated, then waited for him to figure out what she was suggesting.

Unbeknownst to her, Achilles figured it out instantly and his own heart now beat like a war drum.

_Is she actually asking me to…?_ he took a deep breath. _Shit, I'm such a green little shit. Am I really shaking this much because she suggested she wanted to cuddle? I'm an absolutely pathetic, green as grass virgin brat!_

"Achilles?"

The gentle way she called to him snapped him out of his thoughts and filled him with such warmth and longing that, despite his self-deprication, he immediately knew what he needed to do.

"Fuck it," he said out loud.

Before Riveria knew it, she suddenly found Achilles flipping around and wrapping his arms around her midriff and pulling her against his chest.

"Better?" he asked.

Smiling, she nodded.

"Much better."

"Good. Let's get some sleep."

Now completely satisfied, Riveria closed her eyes and snuggled up against him as close as she could before falling asleep.

* * *

_This is ridiculous,_ she thought.

She had been struggling to sleep for hours with no success. Despite succeeding in her endeavor to get close to Achilles and basking in his warmth, she soon found that it wasn't enough. In fact, now a new warmth, a fire within her belly, roared to life.

_You've woken me up and I won't fall back into slumber until I'm satisfied,_ it stated firmly.

The problem, there was only one way to satisfy it, and it came in the form of the man whose arms were currently wrapped around her.

_This is ludicrous. I am closer to him than I've ever been, in more ways than one, I should be satisfied. More than satisfied,_ she thought.

_But you're not,_ the fire in her belly replied. _And you won't be until he's yours. Completely, unquestionably, yours. So. Claim. Him._

The fire now practically burned her from the inside and she could feel herself sweating.

_It's not that simply. I can't just jump hi-._

Her thoughts were stopped when something hard pushed firmly against her backside.

She turned her head and looked over her shoulder. Looking down, she saw her rear was pressed up against Achilles's waist, meaning what she felt could only be one thing.

_Well...there goes my resistance._

Pulling out of the object of her affection's arms, she gently pushed him onto his back and climbed on top of him.

Achilles awoke the moment Riveria pulled out of his arms and began to rub his blurring eyes. It was as he did so that he realized that he was now on his back and something was sitting on his waist. Blinking a few times as his eyes adjusted to the dark, he eventually realized it was Riveria who was above him, looking down with a look in her eyes he did not recognize.

"Riveria?"

"Hello Achilles," she said, her voice dripping with adoration.

The tone she used instantly burned away any fog around his mind.

"Um...what's going on?" he asked, not alarmed, but feeling more than a bit off guard.

"I want to tell you something," she said, the adoration still in her voice as she leaned down and put her arms on both sides of his head.

"A-Alright. What is it you want to tell me?"

"The thing you've been missing. Or were missing. The thing you wanted to know. The reason why I ran from you and blushed in your presence," she said, moving closer to him with each passing moment. Then, when she was just an inch above his face, she confessed. "I love you."

Achilles's eyes didn't even have a chance to widen before her lips captured his own and all her love and every ounce of her affection rushed into him.

A warmth that he could not describe filled him from the tips of his toes to the ends of his hair. It was overwhelming, yet blissful in a way that he could not find the words for. However, just as he was finding the strength and mental power to respond, it ended as the elven beauty above him pulled back.

"I know you haven't quite figured out your own feelings yet, and that's alright, but I don't want to hold back on my feelings anymore. I love you, Achilles Caesar. I have for decades and I want to give you my love. All my love. Right here, right now. I don't ask for anything in return, I just want to show you how much you mean to me. Will you allow me that, Achilles? Will you allow me to give myself to you?" she asked, nay, pleaded to him.

To her surprise, his response was near instant as, wide-eyed and short of breath, he answered.

"Yes. I will," he said. Then, with complete clarity and an unshaking voice, he added. "Claim me. Claim me, Riveria Ljos Alf."

The absolute trust. The delectable submission of one so powerful. The willful surrender of the man beneath her, it was sweet in a way that can only be felt, never described.

She instantly threw herself back at him and captured his lips, this time finding that they responded to her own. Never challenging her, but happily surrendering her own as they submitted to her conquest of them.

_This. This is everything I've wanted. This is euphoria!_

Pulling back from her new conquest, she smiled down at her Olympian.

"I think it's time I take this off."

Reaching up, her delicate hands found the top of her skin tight suit and began to slowly, teasingly, roll into down her body, her eyes never leaving Achilles for a moment.

Watching his eyes so eagerly follow the piece of cloth as it made its slow descent down her body was like a drug. A drug she never wanted to quit and needed everyday. A new, wonderful addiction.

_And here he is, so willing giving me my fix,_ she thought as she brought the clothing down to just above her chest. _Such generosity should be rewarded._

She pushed the bodysuit down to reveal her breasts and she practically quivered as she saw the desire in his eyes grow into an inferno.

"Take them," she cooed, her hands reaching down to take his. "They're all yours. No one else's. Only yours," she vowed, placing his hands on top of them. "Only yours."

It seemed like the well of desire she had thrown herself into had no bottom for each time she thought she had found its bottom, something new came along to force her deeper. This time, it was the warm, gentle feeling of her beloved's hands, massaging her breasts.

"Yes," she called breathlessly. "That's it. Claim them," she begged as she brought the suit lower. "Take them. Take what's yours."

Evidently taking her words to heart, he brought himself up to take one of the tips into his mouth and kissed it.

Riveria gasped as she was rocked with a desire that truly threatened to make her lose her mind. Now her desperation became too great to handle and she quickened her removal of her clothing, forcing it passed her sinful hips, her divine rear, and passed her delightful thighs, before she finally removed it.

Throwing the piece of useless clothing to the side, she reestablished her dominance over her man, pushing him down onto the bed as she stared down at him, her breathing a wonderfully ragged mess, her emerald locks hanging down like a silk veil, and her desire-riddled eyes staring down at her Olympian. Her man. Her Achilles.

"This is your last chance, Achilles. I mean to claim you, but I will not force you. I'd never force you to give yourself to me, but if you don't tell me right now that this isn't what you want, I _will_ claim you. You _will_ be mine and I won't be letting you go. So tell me. What do you want?" she asked.

For a moment she was utterly terrified that he would put a stop to all this right there. That, now given a chance to calm his mind and take measure of the situation, he would deny her. She would relent, of course, she would never force him to do something he didn't want to, but that didn't make the idea of rejection easier. However, her fears proved utterly unneeded as firm hands found her hips and squeezed.

"I already told you, Riveria," he said, his voice raspy with raw desire and affection. "Claim me. Make me yours."

And that was it.

Throwing herself down one more time, Riveria's lips utterly ravished his, re-conquering every inch of his mouth and forcing it into the most wonderful servitude. A willing servitude to her where all that was requested was his affection. His desire. His love. And in return he would receive all of hers. All her affection. All her desire. All her love. Everything she was she would give back to him.

"Then," she said once she pulled back. "I shall take what's mine."

Her hands found his pants and quickly pulled them and his underwear down.

"Goodness," she said, biting her lip. "I can't begin to tell you how happy I am that I finally get to finally see your other sword, Achilles," she stated, her voice pure seduction. "I hope you'll forgive me, but I don't have the patience for foreplay today. I _need _you. I _need_ to make _you_..._**mine**_."

"Then do it, Riveria. I surrender myself to you entirely," he said, smiling at her.

She actually growled at that and brought her face up to his.

"That was the absolute _**best**_ thing you could say."

Pulling back one final time, Riveria placed herself above him, lifted her hips and placed him at her entrance.

"Now. You're. Mine!"

She thrust down and both gasped.

"Fuck," she said breathlessly. "It's perfect."

* * *

Her eyes snapped open.

Whereas others may have been confused by the sudden shift in location and situation, Riveria was not. She knew immediately where she was and what had happened. She was in the inn in Rivira. In a bedroom that had been rented. In a bed she now shared with Achilles. An unclaimed, sleeping Achilles.

_I had a dream. I had a dirty dream. I had an utterly filthy dream about claiming Achilles!_

It was actually a wonder that her face did not set the sheets on fire with how hot it was now. Never, in her entire life, had Riveria been so embarrassed. A dirty dream was one thing, but having said dirty, nay filthy, raunchy dream, as she lay cuddled up right next to the man it was about was something else entirely.

_How am I going to even look him in the eye in the morning? Each time I even think about it I just picture him below me looking up at me and-._

Her thoughts stopped as something quite familiar pressed against her backside.

Slowly turning her head, she found what was currently pressing against her so firmly.

_I'm still sleeping. I must be. I must still be dreaming. There's no way this is happening again!_

"Riveria."

She stopped, her heart feeling like it was about ready to burst from her chest.

"Y-Yes?" she called.

No response came and her anxiety turned to confusion.

Turning more, she discovered that Achilles was sound asleep. This increased her confusion, until she felt him pull her closer to him, push his hips more fully against her rear before he whispered out again.

"Riveria."

_I vow never to embarrass Bell_ _again. No one should suffer like this,_ she vowed as she realized that there was absolutely no chance of sleep that night.

* * *

Hehehe. So...on a scale of one to ten, ten being the most, how pissed are you all at me right now? Hahaha. Well, I did say there was going to be lemons in this fic, but I didn't necessarily say that they'd all be _real_ lemons.

Well, in spite of my ludicrous amounts of teasing, I do hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I certainly had fun with it. It's been _years_ since I last wrote a lemon and it's kind of fun to get back to it. Whatever the case though, please share your thoughts with me. Did you love it? Hate it? Feel it was too fanservicey? Do you want to break my fingers for daring to write something like this? Tell me in the reviews or feel free to message me. Fair warning though, this is only the first of _many_ lemons this story will have. I've got many planned and waiting for their time, so you'd best be prepared.

That said, I'll bid you all a fine day and I'll see you next time. So, until next time, bye for now.


	29. Chapter 29

Hello my dear peeps! Hehehe, the reactions from last chapter were quite amusing. A bit less angry than I expected, though one person did say they were going to kill me :p . Anyway, it's time for the next chapter and to see how Riveria's doing after her little dream, so let's jump in.

I do not own Danmachi.

* * *

"You're a damn fool," Ein said as she reattached Revis's arm.

"I was following orders," Revis threw back.

"You took on two of the most powerful adventurers in Orario without a real plan, then were crushed like an insect. Nothing about that was 'following orders'," Ein countered, clearly in no mood for the redhead.

"I didn't expect the elf to be there."

"You should be glad that the entire Loki familia didn't come as well. It wouldn't have been so surprising if they had, given your past involvement with them."

"It was your plan to bait the Olympian to get the items he's hiding," Revis pointed out.

"Only after you started killing adventurers in the Dungeon. You were supposed to stay hidden and wait for further instructions, not begin massacring dozens of adventurers."

"They discovered me by chance, I needed to make sure they didn't talk."

"That would be acceptable for maybe the first few, but not close to thirty. Besides, you are more than capable of hiding yourself on any level of the Dungeon," Ein stated firmly.

"I don't like waiting."

"Don't be childish. You will do as instructed or you will face punishment. Understood?"

Revis's frown deepened.

"Fine."

"Good. Then you will retreat back down level sixty. You will stay there until the tournament begins. When it does, you will then sneak out of the Dungeon using one of the many faces you've collected," Ein gestured to the bodies off a few paces away. "You will then head to Hearthfire Manor," she handed Revis a map showing where the manor was located in Orario. "And infiltrate it. You will search it to see if the items are hidden there or if there's any clue to their location."

"Fine," Revis responded, taking the map. "What if there's someone there?"

"Achilles is the only potential problem. We'll time it to ensure that he's not present when you infiltrate. No one else should put up a real fight so just kill them."

"Fine," Revis said immediately.

"Good," Ein, now finished reattaching Revis's arm, turned to leave.

"If you want to complete your goal." Ein turned to the redhead who stared at her with terrible, unwavering eyes. "You need new monsters."

* * *

Riveria, despite her best efforts, could not hide how exhausted she was.

"Are you sure you don't want to head back? At the very least we can go back to Rivira and pick up something to help with the exhaustion," Achilles offered again, concern tinting his eyes.

"I'm fine, really. Just didn't get as much sleep as I wanted," she said, before quickly turning away so as to hide her blush.

Achilles stared at her with skeptical eyes.

"Alright. If you're really sure," he finally said.

"I am. Don't forget I'm a level six adventurer. A little exhaustion is nothi-."

With what little was left of her focus placed upon Achilles, Riveria did not notice the rock by her feet and tripped over it.

Alarmed, the elf closed her eyes, expecting to hit the hard ground, only to be stopped near instantly by what she knew was Achilles's arms.

"T-Thank you," she said, mortified as she regained her footing.

Achilles didn't say anything, he simply glared down at her in annoyance. She didn't know what to say given that she couldn't really brush off what had just happened, but at the same time, didn't want him to worry.

As she tried to figure out how to proceed, the man before her suddenly turned around and bent down into a crouch before placing his hands behind him.

"Climb on."

She blinked.

"What?"

"Climb. On," he repeated, this time with real force behind his voice and turning his head to look her in the eye.

Her face erupted in red.

"Y-You can't be serious."

"I am, and you're not getting out of this. Get on and take a nap," he ordered.

"There are so many reasons why I shouldn't do that, most important being safety. You can't properly fight or defend yourself if I'm hanging off your back."

"And you can't properly fight or defend yourself if you're exhausted. Get. On."

"Achilles," she took a breath to calm herself. "As much as I appreciate the sentiment, and believe me, I do, it really is impractical. Yes, I'm a bit tired, but it would be far more irresponsible for me to take your offer and limit your ability to fight and react while also being unconscious."

He looked like he wanted to argue, and, loathe though she was to admit it, she kind of wanted him to, before he finally stood up, his eyes boring down on her.

"If you trip even one more time, I'm picking you up and carrying you bridal style the rest of the way, am I understood?"

_Don't tempt me now,_ Riveria's little voice said.

"Perfectly," she replied as calmly as possible.

* * *

The two made their way down through the Dungeon, Riveria doing everything possible to keep awake. Luckily, with the threat of being carried bridal style hanging over her head, she found a new source of energy, even if part of her still felt like forcing that outcome.

Deeper and deeper they went, discovering no hint of Revis or anything out of the ordinary, much to Achilles's increasing chagrin.

"Damn it," he growled to himself as his temper began to boil over.

"It's alright, Achilles. It's not your fault that she escaped."

"Isn't it?" he asked bitterly. "I should have paid more attention. I should have seen that stupid plant coming a mile away. Now she gets another chance to go on a rampage and put the city and people we care about in danger."

"Achilles," she called gently, placing a hand on his arm. "There will always be danger, no matter how hard we press ourselves. Taking the blame for things that aren't your fault will only unfairly burden you."

He sighed, trying his best to calm himself, but finding it nearly impossible.

"I appreciate that, Riveria. I really do, but this was my screw up. Had I been more on the ball things would have turned out differently. Story of my life, I guess."

That broke her heart and she wanted to say more, but didn't know what she could say. She understood where his mind was at the moment. The belief that, had he just tried harder, things would have been alright. That past events that he so desperately wished had not happened, would not have happened. In this case the result had hardly been disastrous, but it still left an understandably bitter taste in their mouths, especially when it was combined with past failures.

"We're not going to find her, are we?" he finally asked.

She shook her head.

"No. Not this time."

He sighed again.

"Ouranos isn't going to be happy, especially since this was meant to pay off my debt for all the trouble I've caused."

"Ouranos sent you to stop the killings, which you did. It would be wrong to get upset because you didn't complete the secondary object."

"Doesn't mean he won't be upset."

"If he is, he can deal with me," she said defiantly.

He gave her a look.

"You're going to stand up to Ouranos?"

"You think I can't?"

After a few moments in silence, he smiled.

"No. I'm not sure there's anything you can't do."

She smiled triumphantly.

"That was the right answer."

* * *

Finally exiting the Dungeon, the two took a big breath of fresh air.

"Hopefully it's not too late to report to the Guild," Achilles said, noting the night sky.

"I'm sure Ouranos will want to hear from us immediately, whatever the time," Riveria stated.

Achilles nodded and the two made their way through the darkened streets towards the Guild.

Both noticed that it was unusually quiet for the city, with very few people moving about and even fewer taking note of them.

"Can't remember the last time I remember the streets being so empty," he said.

"Neither can I. It's rare, but I can't say I'm upset about it."

He smiled at her.

"Neither can I."

They arrived at the Guild and made their way inside. It was mostly empty, only a few adventurers and a few Guild employees here and there, one of whom, luckily, was Eina.

"Good evening, Eina-san," Achilles greeted as they made their way up to her counter.

"Oh, good evening," Eina greeted, looking up at Achilles before she shifted to Riveria. "And good evening Riv-."

Both wondered why she stopped before they watched as her face lit up.

"Oh right. I forgot," Riveria said, gesturing at her attire. "I'm a bit indecent."

"N-No, not at all, I just...wasn't expecting the new outfit!" Eina tried to excuse, feeling very guilty for having starred and making her friend uncomfortable.

"We got into a fight in the Dungeon and I had to dispose of my usual outfit, and I haven't had the chance to replace it," Riveria explained.

"Of course. Completely understandable. I shouldn't have acted so unprofessionally, especially when I've seen so many adventurers come in wearing far less. Actually," she laughed. "I remember one time when Bell-kun came in covered in minotaur blood."

That piqued both adventurer's interest.

"Covered in minotaur blood?" Achilles asked.

"Mhm. It was the day Aiz-san rescued him and he was so excited to learn more about her that he ran all the way here, covered in blood. I, of course, made him immediately clean up using the facilities in the back."

Riveria and Achilles chuckled.

"I would have liked to see that," Riveria said.

"As would I," Achilles seconded.

"Looking back it is very funny, but at the time I was quite alarmed."

"I don't think anyone could fault you for that," Riveria stated.

"Anyway," Eina pressed on, laughing one last time "You're here to see Ouranos-sama, is that correct?"

"It is," Achilles answered.

"Give me just one moment and I'll notify my superiors."

The two adventurers nodded and a moment later Eina disappeared into the back.

The two took a seat as they waited, but after a few moments, Achilles turned to Riveria.

"Still going to defend me if Ouranos is pissed?"

She laughed lightly.

"Yes, Achilles. If need be I'll protect you from Ouranos."

"Good. Just wanted to make sure."

Eina reappeared, Royman following alongside her.

"Achilles," the elf growled. "Ouranos will see you now."

"Have a good evening you two," Eina called as she broke away.

"You as well," Achilles said.

"I'll visit soon," Riveria added, earning a smile from the half-elf.

The two followed after Royman into the depths of the Guild until they reached Ouranos's chambers.

"He's waiting for you," Royman stated before turning and leaving.

The two entered and bowed to the god that towered over them.

"I am told that the killings have stopped," Ouranos said in his usual, even tone.

"Yes, Ouranos-sama. It was Revis as we feared," Achilles revealed. "Unfortunately, while we were able to wound her and drive her off, she did manage to escape."

Ouranos was silent for some time, his eyes simply boring down on Achilles who felt increasingly guilty with each passing moment.

"That is unfortunate," the deity finally said.

Achilles's nails bit into his hand as a look of failure grew on his face, which was not missed by Riveria.

"Forgive me, Ouranos-sama, but Achilles went above and beyond your initial request. Not only did he put a stop to the killings, but he drove Revis back, despite being injured himself. He even saved me on two occasions," she defended.

Ouranos turned his eyes to her.

"That does not change the fact that Revis remains loose in the Dungeon and will surely return, likely with similar or worse results," he pointed out.

"And when she does we shall both answer the call should you summon us, but that does not make this mission a failure. The Dungeon is fully open once again and we are more prepared than we were if she should try something."

Ouranos fell silent again as he stared down at Riveria.

"What you say is true, Riveria Ljos Alf. However, I fully expect you to keep your word and answer the call when I summon you again, and I will be summoning you again. Both of you," he clarified.

"Yes, Ouranos-sama," both replied immediately.

"Good. Then, for now, I consider your mission complete. You two may leave."

They bowed again and left quickly, neither feeling like staying a moment longer.

Exiting the chamber and the Guild quietly, they re-entered the darkened streets of Orario and both let out a breath.

"You really didn't need to do that," Achilles said.

"I said I would, didn't I?" she pointed out, smiling.

He smiled back.

"You did. Still, standing up to Ouranos is nerve-wracking for anyone."

"True, he does have an intimidating presence," she admitted.

Things were quiet for a time, as the two thought on all that had happened and allowed their worries and anxieties to slip away.

"How about we go for a walk?" Achilles suggested suddenly.

"A walk?" Riveria inquired.

"Yeah. It'll be a good way to calm down and clear our heads. Besides," he looked around. "I really can't remember the last time it was this quiet or empty."

He was right. Things were rarely, if ever, this quiet and it was a rare treat to be able to walk through Orario in such peaceful conditions.

Smiling, she made her decision.

"That sounds wonderful."

Practically beaming, Achilles held out his arm to her.

A bit startled, it took her a moment to respond, but when she did, she readily accepted his arm, wrapping hers around his and snuggling up against him before they began to make their way down the tranquil streets of the city.

* * *

The two walked silently, content and warm as they basked in their closeness.

_This feels so right. Like we were always meant to do this,_ Riveria thought, her smile growing as she snuggled just a bit closer to the man next to her.

Achilles noticed the move and turned to her. Seeing her pressed up against him and smiling, his own smile grew as held onto the woman next to him just a bit tighter.

However, he was distracted for a moment by a familiar urge.

"Riveria?"

The elven princess looked up.

"Yes?"

"Would you consider it very rude of me if I started smoking? I haven't gotten a chance since before we entered the Dungeon and I'm starting to feel the urge. I won't, of course, if it'll irritate you."

She smiled warmly at him.

"No, I don't mind. As long as you share."

"I can agree to that," he said.

Taking out his pipe, he placed it in his mouth, still walking as he did so, before pulling out a match. However, when he pulled it out, he finally realized he would need to pull away from Riveria in order to light it. A small feeling of disappointment entered his heart as he was enjoying the warmth too much to simply let go.

"Achilles."

He turned his eyes and discovered a flame before him.

Following the flame, he found it was connected to the end of Riveria's thumb and, looking up, he saw her looking quite pleased with herself.

Chuckling, he quickly took her offered thumb and used it to light his pipe before taking a deep breath.

After blowing out the smoke, he removed the pipe and smiled at her.

"I forgot about that spell," he said, holding the pipe out for her.

"It's a simple spell," Riveria responded, taking the pipe. "It's only really good for lighting a campfire or as an emergency light," she finished, putting the pipe in her mouth and inhaling deeply.

"Or lighting a pipe," Achilles added.

She removed the pipe, her pleased smile still playing on her lips.

"Or lighting a pipe," she agreed.

The two continued their walk, overjoyed at each other's company and glad that no one was around to ruin it.

"I'm not sure I've ever seen Orario this quiet, even the backstreets usually have something going on," Achilles said.

"Careful. If you keep mentioning how quiet it is, you'll jinx us," Riveria joked.

He laughed.

"My apologies then. I don't want anything ruining this."

Her smile, which by now seemed like a near permanent fixture upon her lips, somehow grew and she brought herself even closer to her not-so-secret beloved, before basking in his warmth. However, or perhaps because of this fact, Riveria finally recognized how cold everywhere else was for her and her smile finally dropped as she shivered.

"Are you alright?" Achilles asked, naturally noticing instantly.

"Just a bit cold. I am still quite underdressed," Riveria replied.

Before she knew what was happening, the elven adventurer felt her partner pulling away from her. Surprised and more upset at losing the warmth than she cared to admit, Riveria turned to Achilles with softly pleading eyes. These disappeared the moment she saw him unhooking his cloak and, without missing a beat, wrap it around her shoulders and hook it to her.

"Better?" he asked.

Getting over her surprise, she nodded.

"Yes. Much better," she pulled the cloak closer to her. "I forgot how warm it was."

"It had better be, that's what cloaks are for and I made sure I got the best one."

"You always did like to get the best of everything," she teased.

"I like to get the best, _practical_ things," he corrected.

"Ah, you're right. My apologies."

He smiled at her before he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her against him again.

"Come on, let's keep walking. I'm not sure when we'll be able to do this again," he said.

She nodded and the two continued walking down the empty streets.

It was as they walked that Riveria realized something that made her chuckle, even as it warmed her cheeks.

"What's so funny?" Achilles asked, his pipe taking an inquisitive position.

"It's just, well, this feels like a date," she admitted.

"Hm," he thought for a moment. "I suppose it does."

Things were silent for a few seconds between them, then Riveria suddenly stopped walking, causing Achilles to do the same and turn to her.

"Achilles, you know how I feel and know what I've been wanting to say," she began. "However, I want the moment when I tell you to be the right one. Not because I'm hoping for a positive reply or expecting you to accept me or my feelings, but simply because I want to do it right. For both of us. To finally get these feelings out properly and to finally give you the truth I believe you deserve to know. Perhaps that's odd, given the situation, but I just wanted to say that, I guess, to explain myself."

Achilles stared down at the woman before him, silently pondering her words for a moment.

"Alright," he finally said. "If that's what you want."

"Thank you," she said, smiling.

He smiled back.

"Though, I might try to coax it out of you every now and then," he joked.

She laughed.

"That's fine, you've kind of been unknowingly doing that anyway."

"Have I?" he questioned. He gently grabbed her and pulled her to him. "Then maybe if I start doing it actively you'll feel like confessing sooner."

"I can't exactly deny that's possible," Riveria said, blushing.

It was only then that Achilles finally took stock of where they were. It was a courtyard, a beautiful one too, made even more so by the fact that the moon had taken the absolute perfect place right above them, covering them in a pale, but beautiful glow.

An idea came to him.

"Riveria."

"Yes?"

"Would you like to dance with me?"

She stared up at him, surprise coloring her beautiful emeralds. However, that surprise lasted only a moment before it faded into joy.

"I would love to.

Achilles pulled back a bit, just enough to take her hands and then, with the two of them staring directly into each other's eyes, he began.

It was slow, but fluid as water. Each step was precise, landing exactly where it was supposed to. At the same time it held a tenderness and warmth within it that both would remember for the rest of their lives. In a word, it was perfect.

Not once did Riveria's eyes move from his, nor his from hers, so engrossed in each other were they. Words themselves were not needed as their eyes communicated all they wished to tell their partner.

_I've missed this. More than you can possibly know,_ Riveria told him.

_So have I and I'm so glad I get to do it again with you,_ he responded silently.

On and on it went, the quiet tapping of feet on stone, the light swish of the cape around Riveria's shoulders, and the silent words that they shared as they fell deeper and deeper into the other.

Neither knew how long it lasted, neither cared either, but it finally ended when the moon finally stopped providing them its heavenly glow by disappearing behind a building.

They pulled apart, blissful and filled with a warmth that can only come from one source.

"Thank you, Achilles. I've missed dancing with you. It was wonderful," she said softly.

"Does that mean you feel like confessing now?" Achilles inquired.

She did not waver nor blush, she only lightly shook her head.

"Not yet, but I'm very, _very_ close," she replies, staring up at his eyes lovingly.

He chuckled.

"It's a damn good thing you're so beautiful. A guy can only take so much teasing."

She chuckled also. "My apologies. Though you did say you were willing to wait," she pointed out.

"I'd be willing to wait until the sun died if I knew for certain I'd hear those words."

The words, and the honesty she felt from them stunned her for a moment.

"When did you get so charming?"

His response was instant.

"When I found someone I desperately wanted to charm."

Perhaps it was because she had received so many compliments and so much affection in so short a time and this was the final straw, but Riveria's face suddenly burst into flames.

"Tease," she scolded.

Achilles laughed.

"Can you blame me? You're far too adorable, not to mention beautiful when you blush," he said, moving a strand of hair behind her air.

A bit peeved at the teasing, Riveria decided to counter.

"You're not bad yourself," she said, pressing herself against his chest. "That blush you had when you were admiring my body. It was such a lovely shade of red."

Now it was Achilles who was blushing.

"Mm, just like that," she pointed out, her smiling both teasing and seductive.

Suddenly, and before she could react, Achilles growled and pulled her up against him so tightly that her feet left the ground.

"Carefully, Riveria, as I said, a guy can only take so much teasing."

Getting over her shock, her teasing smile returned.

"And what are you going to do about it?"

He stared into her eyes for a moment before moving his head to her ear.

"Are you sure you want to find out?" he whispered.

The tone of his voice and the hot breath on her air made Riveria tense instantly, but she soon discovered this was only the beginning.

"Oooh," she moaned when an absolutely delicious pressure attached itself to her ear. "A-Achilles?!" she cried, trying to break herself out of his arms but finding them effectively nothing more than wet noodles. "T-That's...t-that's my...oooh...my ear!" she cried.

"I know," he whispered, pulling back for a moment. "That's the point. I need to teach you that teasing isn't nice."

He went back to nibbling, causing pleasure to wrack through her body, making her spasm and gasp as the man she so dearly loved pushed her closer and closer to the edge.

_Let him,_ that new, desirous voice said. _Let him push you over. Let him take what we know is already his._

_It's too much! Much too much and much too soon!_ the rational part of Riveria's mind said.

_Too soon? You've wanted this for decades. Too soon does not exist here,_ the voice threw back.

That was the last of the internal conversation as Riveria found herself on the edge of the wonderful cliff Achilles's had brought her to.

"A-Achilles!...Please!...Stop….I need you to stop!" she begged.

"Why?" he asked, his hot breath sending tingles along her whole spine.

"Because…" she managed to back away enough to look him in the eye. "I'm going to…."

He immediately understood.

"I see."

For the briefest of moments she thought he would stop. Thought that her pleading had made him see sense or cooled his blood enough, but she was wrong. She was very wrong.

His mouth went immediately for the tip of the ear, the most sensitive part. That alone would have set her off, but this time, he added something new. His tongue.

"Achilles!" she cried.

Her body shook as she released in his arms. Euphoria flooding her senses as her mind was overcome with delight.

It lasted for at least a minute, her body spasming while her breath came out in ragged gasps while Achilles stared at the woman in his arms with calm, but undeniably pleased eyes.

"Achilles," Riveria said quietly, still trying to regain her breath.

"I warned you, Riveria. Don't tease, because there's only so much a guy can take, and for me it's even worse."

"W-What do you mean?" she asked, a slight tremble to her voice.

"I'm saying, Riveria. I'm fifty-five going on fifty-six, and I've never been with a woman. That my principles have always kept me at bay. But now: having finally awakened from my Freya stupor, feeling myself being drawn to you, and now seeing you overcome in mind-numbing bliss, well...let's just say I'm finding myself exceedingly tempted to do something about those fifty-five years of celibacy."

Her jaw dropped.

"A-Achilles…"

"Shh. It's alright. I won't do anything more today. We're still not there yet. I'm still trying to fully understand my feelings and you haven't confessed yours. Admittedly this sort of thing is really supposed to happen _after _you become a couple, but I felt the need to do it now. If not to get you to stop your teasing, then to show you what to expect should we well and truly find each other."

Riveria had only one reply to that.

"Fuck."

He smiled and leaned in next to her ear.

"Oh we'll get to that, Riveria. We'll get to that."

* * *

The two finally reached the point where they would need to separate, neither having said a word since Achilles's promise.

"T-This was," Riveria tried to find the right words, but had some difficulty. "A very interesting last few days."

"I hope it was good interesting," Achilles replied.

She nodded, though her cheeks were still quite red.

"Yes. Very much so. It was...good to spend so much time with you again."

He chuckled.

"It was nice to spend time with you as well. I know I pushed some boundaries, and I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable, but I'm not going to run from this, Riveria. I can't say those magic words yet, but each time we meet I feel myself being pulled more and more towards you. You...You really are wonderful. In so many different ways and you make me feel in a way no one has, and yes, that very much includes Freya," he quickly added. "Like I told you, she was like a warm blanket, but one that was wrapped around your head and suffocates you. You're not like that. To me you're like a spring breeze. Cooling and refreshing. Never abrasive or demanding, just gently giving me what I so desperately need. For that I'll never be able to thank you enough."

Riveria's heart honestly felt like it was going to hammer out of her chest.

"Goodness, you're making me feel like a teenager, Achilles. I'm not sure I can take anymore poetry or charming words without risk of bursting into flames."

He laughed.

"Then I'll stop for now. But that is how I feel," he stated.

"Then...I best keep doing whatever it is that I'm doing," she responded.

"Yes you should," he agreed.

The two were quiet for a moment before Achilles decided it was time to finally break away.

"Have a good evening, Riveria. Get some rest," he turned to leave.

"Wait!"

He turned back and watched as Riveria removed his cloak and handed it to him.

"Don't forget this," she said.

"You can keep it for now. It's still cold after all."

"No, it's fine. I need to cool down anyway," she replied.

Smiling, he took the cloak from her.

"I'm glad I have that effect on you."

She gave him a small glare.

"Well, you'd best expect some revenge in the future, Achilles Caesar. No one gets to best me like that and not suffer my wrath."

He responded to that by leaning in next to her ear once again.

"I look forward to it," he whispered before kissing her cheek. "Goodnight, Riveria."

Blushing, but unable to keep the smile off her face, the elven beauty waved.

"Goodnight, Achilles."

* * *

Achilles walked through the streets of Orario with a smile on his face. Almost immediately after departing from Riveria, he had come across people, moving about the city like normal and he could not help but think that some lucky star had been blessing him that night for allowing him his time with the elven princess who was earning more and more of his affection with each passing day.

He finally saw Hearthfire Manor in the distance and picked up his pace, eager to get some food in his stomach then get some sleep, confident that tonight there would be no nightmares.

He made his way inside as silently as he could, expecting that everyone would be asleep. However, upon entering, he heard the sounds of people in the dining room.

Making his way over, he found not only his familia, but also the Miach and Takemikazuchi familia, as well as Hephaestus, Tsubaki, Hermes, Asfi, and Soma, all of whom looked like they were having fun eating and talking.

"What's going on here?"

Everyone turned.

"Dad!"

"Achilles!"

"Evening everyone," he greeted, hugging Bell and smiling. "Looks like you're all having a party."

"We were training together and invited them to stay for dinner and well, I guess it kind of turned into a party," Bell explained.

"Then don't let my arrival stop things, I'm just going to grab some food. I haven't had a proper meal in days."

As Achilles made his way over to get a plate, Bell asked.

"How was the mission?"

Achilles sighed.

"It didn't go as well as I would have hoped," he admitted.

Looks of worry were shared between those present.

"What happened?" Bell asked.

"Well, we found Revis and managed to defeat her, but she fled before we could capture her so, unfortunately, she's still hiding somewhere in the Dungeon."

That concerned everyone, but there was little they could do and Bell didn't want the mood in the room to shift into anxiety or worry.

"Well, we'll find her again and make sure to capture her next time," he said confidently.

Everyone knew what he was doing, but none could resist the infectious positivity he was radiating.

"Of course we will," Achilles replied, smiling at the young man. "If I can beat the snot out of her by myself then we'll absolutely crush her together."

A few people chuckled and Hephaestus rolled her eye even as she smiled. However, one person didn't smile, but smirked.

"But you weren't alone, you had the Nine Hells with you," Welf pointed out.

Instantly the mood in the room changed as the Hestia familia gained a predatory gleam to their eyes.

"It appears that some of us are in the dark about something," Hermes noted, seeing the confused look in the non-Hestia familia members present.

Most of the Hestia familia looked ready to explain when the center of attention himself decided to answer.

"Riveria's in love with me," Achilles stated.

That surprised the messenger god, along with the guests that did not already know.

"Really? Riveria Ljos Alf, the Nine Hells herself, has feelings for you?" Hermes asked, very interested.

"Yep. Apparently has for a while."

"You say that like she told you," Hephaestus pointed out.

"She did in a way. She didn't confess her feelings but she knows I know how she feels. We had a couple of conversations about it," he explained.

That was a bit surprising for everyone present.

"My my, this is some of the most fascinating news I've ever heard. Though I suppose it's to be expected. A man of your caliber and fame likely has admirers number in the thousands."

"I suppose so, but there's only one whose attention I want," Achilles said.

A disappointed air appeared over the room as everyone recognized what he meant.

"Ah yes. A shame for dear Riveria that your heart is already taken," Hermes said dramatically, earning him a hard nudge from Asfi.

"It would be, if someone else had taken it."

Everything stopped.

"Dad, what do you mean?" Bell asked.

Achilles smiled, then chuckled for a few moments as he prepared to take a mental picture of what was about to happen.

"I'm not in love with Freya anymore, and if things keep progressing the way they are, I _will_ be in love with Riveria _very_ soon."

_Three. Two. One,_ he thought.

The room burst into noise as Bell and most of his familia suddenly rushed him, congratulations and sounds of happiness jumping through the air.

Achilles laughed as he thanked everyone for their congratulations and well-wishing, while at the same time doing his best to avoid the many questions that had sprung up from his confession.

However, as most everyone, even Asfi, were congratulating Achilles on finally freeing himself from the Goddess of Beauty's hold, Hermes sat silently by himself, a deep frown carved into his face.

_She's not going to like that. Freya does not take kindly to someone else touching her belongings, let alone losing one, and to a mere mortal no less. I actually can't even think of a time in all the centuries that have passed where that happened. This isn't going to end well,_ he thought looking at the Olympian. _No, this can only end one way. With the death of Riveria Ljos Alf._

* * *

Riveria was practically running back to the Twilight Manor as her mind raced and lightning ran through her veins.

_Hm, I wonder what it would feel like to have his lightning running through my ears. He has such great control over it that it wouldn't hurt, just make everything tingl-. Stop!_ she mentally screamed. _I can't think like this!_

_Why?_ the uninhibited part of her mind asked. _Especially after what he did to you? After what he said? He wants you. Badly. He desires you and wants to be with you, body and soul. What's wrong with imagining what it will be like when you finally claim him._

_When?! _she internally shouted.

_Yes, when. There is no way that little dance under the moonlight is going to be the last time. That man's yours and you are going to claim him so thoroughly neither you, nor he, will be able to walk the day after!_ the voice stated, not a single shred of doubt in its words.

_Oh gods! Oh heaven above, what's happening to me? This isn't like me._

_Yes it is. This is the side of you that's been suppressed for years because you couldn't have what you wanted. What you needed. Now it's finally being unleashed. Years, nay, decades worth of desire, finally being unleashed as the man you want draws closer and closer. Stop fighting it. Stop fighting yourself. Let go of your restraint and enjoy the pleasure. The euphoria of having the man you want._

_I don't have him yet,_ the rational Riveria threw back.

_Yes. Not __**yet**__, _her desires reminded her.

She shivered.

"Gods, Achilles, you best be prepared, because when I get my hands on you I'm taking _all_ this frustration out on you."

Finally arriving home, Riveria took one final breath to calm herself, then made her way towards the gate.

Two guards were there, as was normal, and she approached slowly so as not to startle them.

"Evening," she greeted.

The two guards however, did not respond, which Riveria found odd until she saw their cheeks turning red and saw where their eyes were turned.

Looking down, she was reminded that, without Achilles's cloak, she was only wearing a skin-tight outfit that left very little to the imagination. A fact that led to the expected result of the two guards gawking at their superior.

Now annoyed more than was really fair, Riveria coughed loudly, snapping them back to reality where they very quickly set about opening the gate, hoping their superior didn't set them on fire.

Finally entering the compound, Riveria wondered if she should get changed before finding Finn and reporting what transpired in the Dungeon.

_He might very well be asleep so I'll just go to my room and report to him tomorrow when I'm clothed, rested, and less likely to burst into flames at his teasing._

Plan in mind, she finally entered the manor, happy to be home.

"Ah, there you are."

Turning, she discovered Gareth a few paces away, sitting in a chair and reading a book.

"What are you doing down here, Gareth?" she asked.

"Finn set up a watch so that we could know when you returned and speak on what happened," he explained.

"I see," she said.

"Come on," Gareth said signally for her to follow.

She did as requested and followed after the dwarf.

The two made their way silently through the manor, however they were not alone. While things were certainly quieter than during the day, there were always a few people who were moving about, even during the night. Some were night owls, others were party people who stayed out late, and others still had simply lost track of time in the Dungeon. Whatever the reason, Riveria, for the first time in her life, found herself resenting them.

The reason was quite simple. They were _all_ staring.

_I'm not naked for heaven's sake!_ she internally berated them, sending a few glares at her underlings for so blatantly staring at her and her more exposed body.

_You weren't this mad when Achilles stared,_ a thought pointed out.

_That's different. He's allowed to look,_ her frown disappeared as a smile took its place. _Only him._

They arrived at Loki's office and entered. It was empty, naturally, as Loki was asleep by then.

"I'll go get the others," Gareth said. "As well as a new set of clothes."

She smiled at him.

"Thank you," she responded.

He nodded and disappeared, allowing Riveria a few moments of quiet as she waited for her familia to begin arriving.

Some time later the door opened, revealing Finn.

The prum, seeing Riveria and her state of dress chuckled.

"Well, either you got into a bit of a tussle or you and Achilles had more fun than you were supposed to."

Riveria rolled her eyes even as a blush covered her cheeks.

Soon, others began arriving, Aiz being the next, with the Sword Princess cocking her head at seeing Riveria without her usual green outfit, though she said nothing, which Riveria appreciated. Next came Bete who eyed her with disgust as she was sure numerous ideas were flooding his mind as to why she was so underdressed. Tiona and Tione followed after him, and both instantly jumped on her once they saw the black bodysuit, asking so many embarrassing and personal questions that she felt the blush rush all the way up to the tip of her ears. Then came Lefiya who, upon seeing her fellow elf, blushed even more terribly than Riveria herself, before suddenly fainting. That gave her a temporary respite, but only for a moment before Loki entered and saw her.

"Holy…" Loki's jaw fell as blood dripped down her nose. "Is this a dream?" she asked.

A few people chuckled as Riveria tried desperately to restrain her blush.

"No, this is real," Finn stated.

That set Loki off as she ran at Riveria.

"It's been so long since I've seen your curves!" she cried in happiness. "You always bathe when no one's around so I never get to see you. I almost forgot how hot you are!"

"Hot enough to knock out poor Lefiya here," Tiona pointed out.

"I should think so," Loki said. "I mean, look at her. Those hips. That ass. Those ti-."

Riveria slapped her hard enough to make the goddess spin.

"That's quite enough," she stated firmly.

"Yeah, I for one don't want to empty my stomach," Bete sneered.

"Even you have to admit that Riveria's fire, Bete," Tione threw at him.

He simply growled as Riveria pinched the bridge of her nose, begging Gareth to save her from this mess.

Her prayer was answered when the door opened and Gareth arrived, her clothes in his arms.

"Here you go," he said, holding them out to her.

She almost kissed him for that, but decided a smile containing enough appreciation to drown a man would do.

"Thank you."

Just as she was about to put on her clothes, Loki cried out.

"Wait!"

Everyone turned to her.

"I so rarely get to see your sexy body, so for tonight, you are forbidden from wearing anything else."

Riveria's jaw dropped.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Nope!" the trickster goddess replied. "I am ordering you to remain exactly as you are for this meeting and if you even think about putting those clothes on I will punish you."

It was ludicrous. Beyond ludicrous, but everyone knew she was serious as one should never get between a pervert and her eye candy.

"You will regret this," Riveria growled.

"No I won't," Loki replied immediately. "Because I'm going to burn this image into my mind until it's forever ingrained there."

Riveria sighed heavily.

_This. This is my goddess._

Irritated beyond belief, but defeated, Riveria put her clothes down and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Can we begin then? If not because I don't care for the ogling, than so I can get some food and rest?"

Finn chuckled again and nodded.

"Tiona. Wake Lefiya up."

After a few moments and a few attempts, Tiona managed to wake the young elf who, luckily, did not faint again at seeing her elven superior, even if she looked ready to.

"Alright. So what happened?" Finn asked.

"Achilles and I started by going to Rivira and seeing if Bors had any information for us," Riveria began. "He didn't have much, the most important information being the location of the attacks and that two more adventurers had been killed shortly before our arrival."

The tone of the meeting finally turned serious and everyone focused intently on her words.

"We headed down towards the twenty-first floor, both of us suspecting that whoever was doing the attacks would be there. We were right."

"Was it Revis?" Finn asked.

"It was," she affirmed, instantly feeling the tension in the air grow. "She summoned a group of violas and threatened me. Achilles did not take kindly to that and engaged her while I fought the violas. It was during that fight that I lost my normal clothes," she said gesturing towards her current outfit. "Realizing that I was too slow, I threw away my cloak and overclothes and engaged them as you see now. As I fought, Achilles was wounded, but managed to defeat Revis. However, she used one of her violas to escape."

Everyone seemed disappointed at that, but there was nothing they could do.

"Achilles wanted to pursue, but seeing as he was wounded and we both weren't at our best, I suggested that we return to Rivira and rested. He reluctantly agreed. We returned and informed Bors of the situation. He was thankful and gave us a room for the night, half-off."

"Meaning full price for normal hotels," Bete stated, getting a couple of laughs from the others, allowing some of the tension to dissipate.

"Yes, well, it was still appreciated. We rested and the next day we pressed on, trying to find Revis, but finding no clue of her. Both of us wanted to continue the search, but we both recognized we weren't going to find anything. Revis undoubtedly retreated deep into the Dungeon, further than even the two of us could go, so we reluctantly turned back to report to Ouranos about what transpired."

"How did things go with old frowny?" Loki asked.

"He, naturally, would have preferred to have Revis captured, but he was understanding enough, though he did say he expected us to answer the call if he ever summoned us again."

They all nodded.

"Did you get anything on why Revis was doing the killings?" Finn questioned.

Thinking back on it, Riveria remembered a detail she had forgotten in the flurry of events.

"It appeared it was an ambush for Achilles. She demanded he provide some items to her."

Everyone gave her a questioning look.

"Items?" Finn pressed.

Riveria shrugged.

"She said something about them being the items the Zeus familia guarded. Achilles seemed to know what she was talking about, but he refused to help her. He didn't say much else on the subject and during the course of our search it failed to come up again."

"Hm," Finn pondered for a moment before turning to Loki. "Any idea what these 'items' could be?"

Loki shrugged.

"Could be anything. Zeus and Hera were the top dogs in Orario for a long time and both had their own reasons for collecting things of interest. Hera just wanted to make sure they stayed out of the wrong hands, but Zeus was always sort of fascinated by things with weird powers or special purposes. Honestly, even I can't imagine what they collected over the ages."

"That's not exactly comforting," Finn pointed out.

"It shouldn't be," Loki responded. "I have no idea what the Zeus familia hid away or what these assholes want with whatever they did hide, but I do understand that we need to know more. That's where you come in, Riveria."

"Me?"

"Who else? You're the closest to Achilles and the only one of us who has even the remotest chance of learning anything."

Horror and anger entered Riveria's heart as she realized what her goddess meant.

"You want me to spy on him?"

"Yes, and you should perfectly understand why," Loki stated firmly, her eyes opening. "You may be smitten for him, Riveria, but we're still your familia and, even more importantly, if Enyo and his little helpers want these items then quite literally everyone is in danger. You need to use your connection to find out what these items are and how dangerous they are, at the very least. I know that sucks, using your connection against him, but this is one of those situations where you're going to have to suck it up. Too much is at stake to let your feelings get in the way."

Riveria couldn't believe her ears.

"I'm not a spy."

"Well then you're going to have to learn quickly, because, starting right now, I'm ordering you to use every chance you get to learn what these items are, what they can do, and where they are hidden," Loki finished.

Riveria, shocked and unable to speak, looked at her familia, all of whom, with great reluctance, gave her the same answer.

_You have to do this._

There was only one set of eyes that did not agree. Only one person who was on her side. Aiz.

_This is wrong,_ she told her mother figure. _This is wrong._

* * *

Whelp, this one was a bit fanservicing wasn't it? I hope that doesn't upset you guys as I do like it when you guys enjoy the story. I guess I just felt like making it up to you all after all the teasing from the last chapter.

That said, please share your thoughts with me. Review or send me a message. I'm all ears! I know there's often things I miss and you guys have also inspired some of my best ideas so really, I'm all ears!

With that, I'll bid you all a fine farewell and I'll see you next time. Bye for now.


	30. Chapter 30

Hello my dear people. Well, it's time again for another chapter and for us to find out how Loki's order plays out. So, let's hop in shall we?

I do not own Danmachi

* * *

Riveria sat on her bed, thinking about what she had been ordered to do.

As much as she did not wish it, she felt resentment and bitterness eating at her the more she thought about her orders.

_I'm so close. After all this time, all these years of yearning, I almost have him. His heart is open to me and now they want me to put it all at risk. To potentially shatter his trust in me,_ her nails bit into her hands. _The moment he finds out, and he will, he'll lose his faith in me. He'll retreat from me, and he'll be totally justified in doing so because I will have effectively spat in his face!_

Her head fell into her hands. She hated this. These feelings of despair, rage, and disgust. It all made her want to cry.

_When's the last time I cried? I can't even remember. And to be crying over this. Heaven above I'm so pathetic. A century old yet still acting like a little girl._

A knock at her door made her jump. She hadn't been expecting anyone and, quite frankly, she wasn't in the mood to talk.

"Riveria?"

_Aiz?_

Getting up, she went and opened the door to see a very melancholy looking Sword Princess before her.

"May I come in?" the younger woman asked.

"Of course," Riveria said, not knowing what else to do.

Aiz entered and after Riveria closed the door, she turned around and looked at her elven mother figure.

"This is wrong," she stated firmly.

Riveria blinked.

"You mean the spying?" she asked for clarification.

Aiz nodded.

"We're friends. We shouldn't spy on them."

Riveria sighed. She wanted to agree, but knew that, logically speaking, she couldn't.

"It's not that simple. While I don't like it, I understand why I was ordered to spy on Achilles."

"Why can't you just ask him about the items?" Aiz questioned, a notable bit of pleading in her voice.

"It's very likely that Achilles is keeping their existence a secret. It seemed, from what Revis said, that these items are a familia secret. Simply asking him is almost assuredly out of the question."

"But he trusts you, doesn't he?"

That simple question nearly broke Riveria and the tell tale signs of tears were threatening to overcome her. A fact she hated with all her being.

"Y-Yes," she managed after a while, though she could not stop her voice from shaking. "I believe he does."

"Then he might tell you if you ask. I trusted Bell with my secret and I haven't regretted it for a moment since. Maybe he will feel the same way."

Riveria laughed. That wonderful optimism was like a ray of sunshine during a storm.

"I appreciate your optimism, Aiz, I really do, but this isn't the same situation. Your secret was a personal one and, I remind you, Achilles compelled you to reveal it-."

"And I'm glad he did," Aiz cut it, her voice full of force and determination.

Riveria's smile grew for a moment, before it dropped.

"Even so. The secret or secrets surrounding these items is not a personal one, but one from his former familia and comes with far greater consequences if revealed."

Aiz was silent for a moment, her eyes boring into her superior.

"When are you defending them?"

Riveria looked at her, confused.

"Defending them?"

"The others. Loki. Finn. Everyone. You didn't want to spy on Achilles, but they're making you. Why are you defending them now?"

Riveria sighed as her nails bit into her hands again.

"You're right, I didn't want to do this. But I understand-."

"Don't you lie to me, Riveria," Aiz ordered, not allowing her adoptive mother the chance to try and convince either of them what she was doing was right. "This is hurting you."

"Of course this is hurting me, Aiz!" she cried, her tears finally being released. "The man I love is finally opening himself up to me. He told me so himself. He told me while we were down in the Dungeon that he believes he's falling in love with me. That he doesn't love Freya anymore!" The Sword Princess's eyes widened. "I've wanted to be with him for decades, Aiz! And now that I'm so close I'm being asked to betray his trust! That hurts me more than I can possibly say. But I understand why I must. Because compared to the danger we face, the danger these items possess, especially in the wrong hands, my feelings mean nothing. So, no matter how much I hate it, I must do this. Please understand that Aiz!"

One would have forgiven Aiz if she had been dumbstruck by the uncharacteristic display of emotion from the woman she looked up to. She would have been forgiven if she had simply remained silent as she attempted to regain her thoughts and figure out how best to respond. But she wasn't dumbstruck, nor did it take her more than a second to respond to Riveria's words.

"It's wrong."

Riveria laughed dryly before pain and bitterness overcame her again.

"It's not that simple. Life is more complicated than simply right and wrong."

Again, Aiz responded instantly.

"Wrong is wrong, there is nothing complicated about that, and I for one can't think of anything more important and good than love, and nothing worse than to taint it or force someone to betray the one they love."

Riveria was stunned silent, which served Aiz just fine. She strode past Riveria and opened the door to leave. However, just as she was about to exit the room, she turned.

"You love him, and I think he loves you. Don't let anyone ruin that. The world needs love more than anything else."

Then she left, closing the door and leaving Riveria to ponder her words.

* * *

Riveria had not slept well. How could she have? After her new orders and her talk with Aiz, her mind was racing.

_It's going to be a long day,_ she thought as she got up.

Getting dressed slowly she briefly pondered simply grabbing a plate of food from the dining area then bringing it back up to her room so she could eat breakfast alone and away from the others. She however, disregarded that idea quickly enough, recognizing it as childish.

_But am I not allowed to be a tad childish here? To be upset with what I'm being ordered to do? Can I not be mad at them and avoid them for at least a few hours?_

She sighed. Yes. It was going to be a very long day.

Dressed, she made her way down towards the dining room, hoping that some food would raise her spirits.

As she walked, she noticed that she was garnering more attention than usual. Normally, when she made her way down, those she passed would simply acknowledge her with a salute or maybe stop her to ask a question, though that was a bit rare given she knew most found her intimidating. However, while this did still occur this time around, it was vastly overshadowed by a new collection of responses, namely: whispering, gawking, and blushing.

She wondered what this meant for a few moments, before her eyes caught sight of one of the people she had come across the previous night in the halls. She remembered this one in particular because he had stared at her so blatantly that she had glared at him, resulting in a very hasty retreat. Now, he seemed as though he had been waiting for her and his face soon gained a very healthy amount of red. That's when she figured it out.

Her blood began to boil.

_I do not need this right now! _she growled. _And for Heaven's sake I was still fully dressed!_

She stopped.

"It is impolite to stare and to gossip!" she called out, her voice booming down the hall.

Knowing they were caught and freaking out at the potential rage of their superior, everyone in the hall fled in unrestrained panic, emptying the hall and leaving her alone in less than a minute.

Her hand came up to her face and covered her eyes as the frustration began to crack what was left of her control.

_Why now? Why did this have to happen now? After all these years apart. When we're finally so close, I have to betray him. Oh gods, why did I even go with him down into the Dungeon? I should never have gone!_

She stopped, immediately realizing how wrong that was.

_No, I'm glad I went, for so many reasons. I could never regret going with him. Even if everything falls apart and he loses all trust for me, I'll be glad that I went with him and made sure he came back safely. Nothing will change that._

Feeling slightly better, though knowing full well she was still anything but okay, she continued her way towards the dining hall.

Upon arriving, she was met by the same stares and whispers she received earlier, but decided to ignore them. As ludicrous as it was, it wasn't worth the stress, she decided.

Getting her food, she made her way to her spot at the front of the hall where Loki, Finn, and Gareth were already seated and eating.

"Morning, Riveria," Finn greeted, doing his best to sound pleasant.

He was met with silence as the elven princess simply took her seat and began to eat.

Finn shared a look with Gareth and Loki, both of whom had much the same look on their faces as he did. The prum captain sighed, hoping that Riveria would see reason soon and accept what needed to be done.

That thought was quickly side-lined as Finn noticed that the entire room was looking towards them, everyone apparently having noticed the cold shoulder that Riveria had given him.

He sighed again, but far more heavily.

_It's going to be a long day._

Things were tense the entire time Riveria ate, everyone, but the leaders of the familia, wondering what was going on. However she, despite feeling the countless eyes upon her, ignored all of it, ate in complete silence, then got up to return her plate and utensils, and begin the trek back to her room.

She had made it to the top of the stairs when Finn called.

"Riveria!"

She turned and looked down upon her captain, all but ignoring the other leaders of her familia who were with him.

"Yes?" she inquired.

"We didn't get a chance to mention this last night, but we're training at Hearthfire Manor today," he informed her.

Her grip on her staff tightened to bone breaking potential.

"Then you'll have to forgive me. I'm too worn out from my expedition with Achilles and won't be attending this time," she replied, before turning to leave.

Everyone looked at each other, while Finn frowned.

"Trying to avoid it won't make things better, Riveria," he pointed out.

She turned back to him.

"I'm not avoiding anything, Finn, I'm simply still tired. It was a long time in the Dungeon with little rest, which is made all the worse given that I didn't get much sleep last night," she responded coldly.

Finn, having had enough of her attitude, responded forcefully.

"Stop acting like a child."

If looks could kill, the one that Riveria sent at her captain would have caused his heart to explode.

"If I'm going to do this, Finn," she growled his name. "Then I need to be as comfortable as possible, not only so that I can actually attempt to get the information you so desperately want, but so that Achilles, who is by no means an idiot, won't immediately figure out what I'm doing. So, if I tell you, I'm tired and I need some time to rest and think on things, then it would behoove you to allow me time to rest and think on things."

Everyone was concerned about the way this was turning out, and their anxiety only grew when they noticed that other members of their familia were beginning to listen in from the sidelines. Finn, however, noticed none of this, as he was too focused on returning Riveria's glare.

"If you have a problem with this familia, you're free to leave at any time."

Every jaw dropped at that. Every jaw, except for Riveria's which tightened so terribly it began to groan.

"You are the last person that gets to say that to me," she replied, her voice sending shivers up everyone's spine. "I love this familia and those who make it up, it's not merely a tool for my political ambitions that I'll discard the moment it's no longer expedient for me." Jaws dropped further, and even Finn felt a sting from that one. "But that doesn't mean I do not have a mind of my own and cannot disagree with orders. Indeed, this is the second time in recent memory I have been ordered to do something that made me feel physically ill. Yet, despite that, I will do it. As much as it pains me, I will do it. All I ask, _Finn_," she spat out his name like a curse. "Is a little time. Time to reconcile with what I need to do and accept my orders, in spite of the pain they cause me. If you can't accept that, maybe I _should _leave."

Leaving behind a shocked and horrified familia, Riveria stormed off to her room, entered, then slammed the door shut with a thunderous boom, before collapsing on her bed.

* * *

Everyone watched Riveria go in silence, too stunned to attempt to stop her.

Once she was gone, Finn sighed, releasing as much stress and anger as he could.

"I'm sure you all have something you should be doing right now!" he roared.

The sounds of dozens of scared feet erupted through the halls not a second later and he waited for things to fall quiet again.

"Alright, let's get going," he said, his voice still tired and angry.

"Are you sure that's wise, captain?" Tione asked.

"If Riveria wants to act like that, let her, she wouldn't be of much help anyway. When she wants to grow up, we'll talk again," Finn replied, trying not to come off viciously, but failing.

Not knowing what else to do, they all prepared to leave, when Ais spoke up.

"I don't think she's being childish."

Everyone turned to her, the previous tension once again crushing them.

"She knows what she needs to do," Finn stated, trying to end the conversation there.

"Does she need to do it at all?" Aiz threw back, not noticing or not caring what he was trying to do.

His frown deepened.

"You should understand by now, Aiz, that there are times when personal feelings must be set aside for the greater good. On that note," he pressed on before she could reply. "You are absolutely forbidden from saying anything to anyone about Riveria's mission or anything related to it, especially Bell Cranel." The mention of her love's name made the Sword Princess's eyes widen. "If you try what you pulled last time, I don't care if you're Loki's favorite or if the others try to defend you, there _will_ be severe repercussions. Am I understood?"

Aiz respected the leaders of her familia, Finn very much included, and with that came a drop of fear as she fully recognized how powerful they were. However, she never really thought she was afraid of them. That was not the case at that moment, for as she stared down at the cold eyes glaring up at her, she felt fear in every inch of her body. There was no joking or restraint here. If she stepped out of line she _would_ pay dearly.

"I-I understand," she replied as her eyes dropped.

"Good. Let's get going," he ordered again, receiving absolutely no resistance this time.

* * *

The sound of the gate bell going off once again alerted the Hestia familia that the last of their guests and training buddies had finally arrived.

"I'll go get them," Haruhime said, beaming.

She quickly went off, leaving behind the rest of the Hestia familia, along with their allied familia.

"So, you excited to see the Nine Hells again?" Welf teased good-naturedly, something that everyone had been doing almost nonstop since he told them about his change in feelings the previous evening.

Achilles laughed.

"I won't deny that I'll be glad to see her, even if it was only a few hours ago that we said goodbye," he replied.

"I really can't even begin to tell you how happy I am for you, Achilles-kun," Hestia said, smiling brightly.

"Thank you, but nothing's official yet. I still want to make sure my feelings are completely true and that I'm not simply projecting on her or rebounding from Freya," he stated.

"You're not like that. If you feel something for Riveria, it's completely genuine," Bell argued, giving his father the biggest smile of everyone.

Achilles smiled back and pulled him in for a hug.

"Thank you, Bell."

Bell returned it until the sound of the front door opening caused him to pull back as they awaited the official arrival of the Loki familia.

Everyone was all smiles as the Loki familia walked in. First came Finn. Then Gareth. Then the amazon sisters and Bete. Then Lefiya, who looked a tad uncomfortable for some reason. Finally came Aiz, who seemed utterly unwillingly to look at any of them.

Everyone lost their smiles, exchanging them for confused looks as they all asked the same question.

_Where's Riveria?_

"Good morning, everyone," Finn greeted with a smile.

"Good morning," most managed to reply, even if they were still confused.

Finn laughed.

"I guess you're all wondering where Riveria is. Well, she was feeling a bit tired this morning since we kept her up to discuss what happened on your expedition," he looked at Achilles. "So, she stayed behind to get some more rest," he explained.

Achilles wasn't the only one who thought that sounded a bit odd, especially combined with the odd way some of the Loki familia were acting, but, after sharing a quick look between themselves, everyone decided not to press it.

_For now,_ Achilles noted.

"Well, that's understandable. The Dungeon can be exhausting at the best of times and they did spend a few days chasing after a very dangerous person. I hope she gets all the rest she needs," Bell said.

"I'm sure she'll be up and ready to take on the world in no time," Finn replied, still smiling.

With an explanation now provided, though still somewhat disappointed that they wouldn't get to see the elven adventurer interact with their lightning clad ex-captain, everyone let the matter drop so that training could begin, much to the Loki familia's immense, if silent, appreciation.

* * *

Over an hour had passed since the training had begun and, despite his attempts to distract himself, Achilles could not help but ponder on Riveria and her noticeable absence.

_The weirdly guilty looks on Aiz and Lefiya's faces doesn't help, _Achilles thought, his eyes following Aiz as she trained with Bell with far less vigor than she normally did.

Deciding to see if he could find out anymore, he made his way over Aiz and Bell.

"Hey you two," he greeted, stopping their fight. "How's everything going?"

"It's going well," Bell answered, though it was clear that he lacked the usual spark he had when training with Aiz, undoubtedly because he'd noticed her odd behavior.

"Yes...well. It's going well," Aiz said as if she needed to think on how to answer.

"Good," Achilles replied, acting as though he didn't notice. "Would you mind if I partner with her for a moment, Bell? I got to make sure I'm ready for the tournament as well."

Instantly knowing what his father was doing, Bell nodded.

"Sure. If it's okay with Aiz-san."

They both turned to the young woman, who was quiet for a moment as her brain was still playing catch up, before she finally managed a nod.

"Great. Then let's head over here so we don't risk running into the others," Achilles said, gesturing for Aiz to follow.

"...Alright," she responded, her thoughts still in a bit of a jumble.

Making their way over to a spot a bit more distant from the others, Achilles took his position across from Aiz.

_It's probably best that I let her relax first so she's a bit more open to talking,_ he thought.

Just as he was about to begin, his eye caught sight of Finn in the distance, staring in their direction with a little too much interest.

_Things are getting more peculiar by the minute,_ the ex-captain thought, before refocusing on Aiz.

"Okay, remember what I've told you in the past," he said.

She nodded and he was glad to see that she relaxed a bit upon getting in position.

_Alright, now a few rounds to ease her in._

The two clashed, both showing off their impressive display of swordsmanship as they tested the adventurer before them. Overall, had it not been for the fact that Achilles was seeking answers, he would have been quite pleased with the fight as Aiz not only showed off her usual skill, but adapted and experimented in order to try and gain an edge.

_She is an impressive young woman. It really is no surprise that Bell's so smitten for her. Even so, my chips are still in Haruhime's corner._

With one final clang of metal, Achilles signaled for them to stop with Aiz immediately complying.

"Your skills are remarkable, Aiz. You truly are worthy of your title," he complimented.

"Thank you," she said, not quite smiling, but showing a few subtle signs that she was pleased.

"You're adapting and experimenting, which is good. It's quite easy to get stuck in routine or become comfortable with a style. The fact that you're so able to flow with the fight really proves to me that you're one of the best swordsmen the world has ever seen and, if I may say so, I think your father would be very proud of you."

Her eyes widened.

"T-Thank you. That...that means a great deal to me," she replied, gaining a small blush.

"I'm only saying what I believe to be true," he told her, before deciding now was the time to ask. "But on the matter of truth, I have a suspicion that there's a little bit more to Riveria not being here than is being let on."

Aiz immediately tensed, all previous pleasure gone.

"I-I...don't know what you mean."

"Aiz, you're tense, you and Lefiya have this weird look in your eyes and Finn was looking at us earlier like he was worried about something. What's going on?" Achilles asked.

She was silent for a few moments, obviously debating with herself about something.

"She...she really is tired. That's not a lie. A lot of things have happened and she just wanted some time to rest and think," the Sword Princess finally replied.

_Think? Think about what?_ he wondered. He pondered for a moment, looking for answers. _Is it about what happened between us? Does she regret what happened? Did I push her too far? Or maybe it has something to do with Revis? Is she worried about something?_

He wasn't going to receive any answers from questioning himself, he knew that, and he suspected that, for one reason or another, he wasn't going to receive any answers from Aiz either.

"Alright, that's fair," he said. "If she's tired she's tired. I certainly can understand that."

Aiz, though surprised by his nonchalant answer, quickly showed signs of relief, which he did not miss.

"Well, I think I've taken up enough of your time. Go back to Bell, I think he's ready for more sword training," he said.

"Right!" Aiz said, her evident merriment another clear sign that something was up.

"Hm," Achilles hummed as he watched her depart. "If I'm not going to get answers here..."

He made his way over to Hestia who was watching everyone train with a smile. Seeing him out of the corner of her eye, she turned and smiled at him.

"Looks like everyone's doing well," she beamed.

"Indeed. I think they'll be more than ready for the tournament," he agreed.

"Hehe, you betcha. We're gonna kick butt!"

He laughed.

"Yes, I think we will. But, on another matter, I'm going to step out for a minute," he held up his pipe. "I ran out of pipe-weed and need a refill. I shouldn't be gone too long."

"You smoke too much," she chided, playfully.

He laughed again.

"Eh, you're probably right, but I did share a bit of it with Riveria yesterday, so I have a bit of an excuse."

Her smile turned tender.

"I am sorry she didn't come today. Your expedition must have really been something."

"It was, in more ways than one. But, I'm not too upset. If she's tired, she's tired, I think we can all appreciate wanting a bit more rest," he replied softly.

"Boy I can!" Hestia declared, causing them both to chuckle. "Well, I'll tell the others where you went, but don't be too long, you hear?"

He nodded.

"Yes ma'am."

* * *

Walking through the streets of Orario, it did not take long for Achilles to find his actual target. Twilight Manor.

He made his way up to the gate and greeted the two guards.

The two guards, being used to his presence at this point, and knowing full-well they couldn't stop him, at least not while their heavier hitters were away, let him pass, receiving a word of thanks from the Olympian.

Making his way through the Manor, receiving a mixture of reactions from its residence, namely a lot more odd looks than he normally received, he finally arrived at what he knew was Riveria's room and knocked.

"Go away, Finn!"

The hostile response startled him, but only for a moment, as now he was even more invested in finding out what was going on.

"I don't recall being that short. Or blonde," he called back.

Riveria, who had previously been shoving her head in her pillow, immediately shot up, her eyes wide and mouth open.

Rushing to the door, she found Achilles standing there, giving her a small smile.

"Achilles!"

"Hi there," he waved. "Mind if I come in?"

"Uh...of course! Please," she gestured for him to enter.

He did so and she closed the door behind him.

"So, how are you? Everyone said you were a bit tired after our expedition," he said.

"Oh, well, I'm fine. Tired, but fine," she responded, though her words did not flow as they usually did.

"Hm," Achilles eyed her. "Did I do something wrong?"

"What? No! Of course not!" she replied instantly.

"Then why do you seem so...afraid of me?"

She did not respond. She didn't know how. She wanted to be honest, but she also understood the importance of her orders. It was a classic battle of heart over mind.

_Is trusting him really the worst thing I can do right now? He might be willing to share if I ask him straight up,_ she thought. _Then again, he might turn on me for trying to delve into something I have no right to know. What should I-._

Her thoughts were stopped when a soft hand lifted her head and made her look into Achilles's eyes.

"Riveria," he said so gently it turned her legs to jelly. "What is it?"

She quivered for a moment, feeling so childish and trying to remind herself that she was a level six adventurer, though that did little to nothing to stop her shaking legs.

Finally, she replied.

"You'll hate me."

That shocked Achilles and he actually backed up in shock.

"Okay, now you have to tell me what's going on. I need to know how we went from me all but confessing to you, to you now claiming I'll hate you," he said.

She was silent for a moment, steeling herself, before she finally said.

"What are the items that Revis mentioned?"

If Achilles had been shocked or surprised before, it was nothing compared to what he felt now. He had actually forgotten the reason behind Revis's ambush himself in the haze of everything else that had happened. It took him a few moments to get over his shock and he briefly wondered what he should tell her, when the wheels in his mind began to turn and he began to put all the pieces together and he frowned.

"Finn asked you to spy on me, didn't he?"

Riveria's head somehow fell lower and things were silent until she finally answered, though so quietly that anyone besides Achilles may have missed it.

"It was Loki, actually."

Nothing was said between them for what felt like an eternity for both of them, Achilles simply stared down at the downcast Riveria whose eyes refused to leave the floor.

"You see?" she finally said, her voice devoid of life. "You hate me."

Achilles did not respond immediately, he simply stared down at her. Finally though, he sighed.

"Riveria."

She didn't respond.

Rolling his eyes, he reached over to her, and forced her head up to look at him. Then, after their eyes met, he leaned down and kissed her forehead.

Pulling back, he found her eyes wide and her mouth open and he smiled at her.

"Would I be doing that if I hated you?" he asked.

"Achilles...I…"

"Riveria, I'm not mad," he paused. "Okay that's not true. I am mad. Furious actually. I was hoping we were past shit like this, but I'm not mad at you."

"Why? I was going to spy on you?"

"And why was it you who was chosen?" he asked.

"Because...because you trust me the most," she answered.

"Exactly. I trust you, Riveria. I also know you. I know that you didn't want to do this, but felt compelled to, probably because of something like 'they're my familia' or 'the world's at stake' or something like that."

Despite everything, Riveria chuckled at that.

"Both actually," she said, smiling.

"Thought so. And I get it. The items must be important if Revis mentions them and I'm hiding them, it makes sense, even if I don't appreciate that they decided to send you to spy on me instead of, you know, asking about them."

"Would you have told us what these items are if we had done that?" she questioned.

"No."

Her smile dampened.

"I thought not."

"Even so," he pressed on. "You guys could have tried that route. If these items weren't so important I might very well have been willing to share what I knew, but they are that important and this really is a case of, the fewer people who know, the better."

That didn't exactly make things easier for Riveria, and he knew it.

"Riveria," he got on his knee in front of her. "There are things I know that I shouldn't. Secrets that would shake the world to its core. Part of me wants to share those secrets with you, Bell, and other people I hold dear, but these are not easy secrets. These are the sort of secrets that destroy people, and I think the only reason I haven't been destroyed is because I was open-minded enough to accept inconvenient and, in some cases, horrifying truths. So please, when I try to hide these secrets, please don't think it's because I think you're untrustworthy, or because I don't care about you. That's not the case. I do trust you and I _do_ care about you."

She smiled softly and nodded.

"I understand," she replied.

He knew she still wanted more. That this new issue had created a distance between them and that hurt, especially since they were so close. He didn't want that distance to remain, and so he decided to give her one more thing.

"I will tell you about one of the items. Just one. The one that's connected to Aiz."

"Aiz?"

He nodded.

"Yes. I am sure that this particular item is how she came to be in our time." Riveria's eyes widened. "I'll tell you all you want to know, but not right now. Tomorrow, bring Aiz to Hearthfire Manor. Just Aiz," he reinforced. "I want to talk to my familia about this first. Is that acceptable?"

Riveria thought for a moment. Truth be told, she wanted the information now. Hearing how it was connected to her ward and was the explanation to how the girl had come to their time utterly dissolved her patience. However, she also understood that this entire situation was putting Achilles in an awkward spot. He didn't really want to reveal more about these items, but also didn't want to strain on their relationship. As such, she was able to accept the wait.

"Alright. Tomorrow," she agreed.

He smiled, relieved, before lifting himself up and kissing her forehead again.

"Thank you, Riveria. For everything."

She smiled back.

"And thank you, Achilles, for trusting me."

* * *

Achilles arrived back at the Hearthfire Manor and made his way to where everyone was training. Upon arriving, he found Finn off to the side watching everyone.

Hearing the elder man, the prum turned and smiled.

"You were gone a while," he said.

_Fixing your messes takes time, you little shit,_ Achilles internally growled.

"Had to go to multiple stores. You'd be surprised how hard it is to find the good pipe-weed," Achilles responded, taking out his pipe and new cartridge of pipe-weed. "So, I miss anything?" he asked.

"Not much. In fact I think we're about to wrap up for today," Finn said.

"Ah, then my apologies for missing most of it, I truly didn't expect to be gone so long."

He felt the Loki captain's eyes boring into him, trying to figure out if the ex-captain was lying to him. Achilles didn't reveal anything though. He had learned long ago the art of a perfect poker face, so Finn was left with nothing in the end.

"Okay everyone, I think that's enough for today!" Finn called.

"But captain, we can keep going!" Tiona whined.

"Not everyone has as much energy as you, Tiona," Finn replied, signally to the many exhausted adventurers behind her.

"Eh-he, I guess not," she replied with a smile.

"Would you all like to stay for lunch?" Bell asked.

Tiona looked ready to accept, when Finn shook his head.

"As much as we'd like to, there's some business that we need to take care of back home."

Achilles did not miss the confused looks on the Loki familia's faces, before a sudden realization suddenly seemed to hit them and the previous merriment disappeared.

"Oh, okay. Well, you're always welcome," Bell stated, still smiling.

"Thank you, Bell-san, I appreciate that," Finn returned, smiling back.

The Loki familia packed up to leave, allowing Bell a chance to say goodbye to Aiz.

"It's always very nice to see you, Aiz-san," he said, his bright smile dazzling her.

"It's always wonderful to see you too, Bell," she said before a sad look came over her.

"What's wrong, Aiz-san?" he asked, alarmed by the shift, especially after her odd behavior throughout the day.

He wasn't answered with words. Instead, he was suddenly wrapped up in a hug.

"I care about you, Bell. Please never doubt that."

The young man blushed, but was unnerved by her words.

"I would never doubt you, Aiz. I don't think it's even possible for me."

She didn't respond, only hugged him more tightly.

"Stop that!"

The two broke apart and turned to see Achilles holding Hestia who looked ready to jump at the two of them.

"You are not allowed to hug my Bell-kun!" she cried.

"Hestia-sama, please calm down," Achilles requested.

"No! Not until Aiz Wallen-whatisit understands the rules!"

A few people chuckled or rolled their eyes and this gave Aiz just enough time to turn back to Bell.

"Goodbye, Bell. Please remember," she said, before walking over to her familia.

Bell watched her go, confused and worried, but unsure of what to do.

* * *

The Loki familia walked in silence until they were out of sight of Hearthfire Manor. Once they were, Finn moved to Aiz's side.

"What did you say to him?" he asked, his voice low and demanding.

"Nothing," she replied.

"Aiz," he warned.

Her fists clenched.

"I told him that I care about him and asked that he never forget that," she answered, bitterly.

Finn stared at her for a long time, even as they continued to make their way back home. She knew he didn't trust her word right now, but she didn't care. It was the truth. Finally, he relented.

"Good."

They arrived back at the Twilight Manor and made their way over to the gate.

"Welcome home, captain," one of the guards greeted before signaling for the gate to be opened.

"Thank you. Anything to report?" Finn asked.

"Actually yes. The Olympian was here a while ago."

Everyone tensed.

"The Olympian was here? You're sure?" he asked.

"No way we'd get him wrong, not after all the times he's barged in here. He came a couple hours ago, stayed a little while, then left."

"Did he say what he wanted?" Finn pressed, hoping it wasn't what he thought.

"He said something about checking in on Riveria-sama," the guard answered.

Finn bit his thumb.

_I don't like the sound of that._

"Thank you," he managed to say.

They made their way inside and Finn broke off to head towards Riveria's room. Upon arriving, part of him wanted to pound on the door and demand answers, but he restrained himself and knocked calmly.

"Come in."

Finn entered and found Riveria at her desk.

"Afternoon, Finn," she greeted, her previous hostility nowhere to be found.

"Afternoon, Riveria. You seem to be in a better mood."

"I guess I am. Were you just checking up on me?" she inquired.

"Sort of. I heard Achilles was here."

If she was in any way disturbed by this comment, then she was a master at hiding it.

"Yes, he came by to check in on me. He was worried he'd done something wrong and that was why I didn't show up today," she smiled at this last part.

"Did you...discuss things at all?" Finn asked, trying to be as gentle as possible.

She looked him in the eye and was quiet for a moment, before nodding.

"I did inquire about the items."

The throbbing in his thumb became worse.

"And what did he say?"

"Well, as expected, he didn't exactly want to share. He said it was a familia secret and everything we expected, but he did say he was willing to share at least some of the information, because he _trusted me_ so much," she could not stop herself from emphasizing these words.

"That's...good. That's really good to hear."

"Quite. However, he said he didn't want to discuss it today and so he'll tell me in the future," he explained.

"How far in the future?" Finn pressed.

She shrugged.

"Possibly tomorrow for all I know. It's best not to push things like these," she replied.

He couldn't really disagree with that. Achilles hadn't become the captain of the Zeus familia while being an idiot, after all. If they wanted to learn more they would need time.

"Alright. Do you plan to see him tomorrow?"

"I do. Though it would probably be best if I went alone or perhaps with Aiz. After myself, she's probably the most trusted of all of us. Then again," she chuckled. "Given her many rivals in that familia, I may be wrong."

Seeing his elven companion smiling and chuckling eased some of Finn's concern, even though he couldn't quite get over the feeling he was missing something.

_As long as she's now onboard with her mission that's all that matters._

"Okay. Great, then I'll leave you be and wish you luck," he said.

"Thank you," she replied calmly.

Finn left, allowing Riveria to drop her smile.

_I don't need luck, I'm not the one who's infuriated the Olympian, Finn._

* * *

A few hours had passed since the Loki familia departed before the last of the Hestia's familia's guests and training partners left for home, allowing for Achilles to inform his familia about what he'd learned.

"Everyone, there's something I need to tell you all," he said.

The seriousness in his voice concerned them, but they all nodded and made their way into the living room.

Sitting down, they waited for him to begin which, after a deep breath, he did.

"So, I'll start by saying that I didn't leave to get more pipe-weed, I left to go visit Riveria."

A few looks were shared as his familia wondered why something that should have brought a smile to his face was instead creating a deep frown.

"I found her in her room and got to talking with her. Something was off about her, much like how something was off with the Loki familia today." A few nods met his eyes. "So, I inquired what was wrong and was answered by a question. 'What are the items Revis mentioned?'."

Instantly, every eye opened in shock.

"I forgot to mention it before, and I apologize for that, but it appears that Revis was trying to ambush me to gain access to the items I've told you about. I suppose I forgot myself because neither I, nor Riveria, ever brought them up again during our entire expedition. But, it appears she remembered and, more importantly, informed her familia."

Concern was added to their shock, but he pressed on.

"I quickly figured out what Riveria wasn't saying," he took a deep breath in order to restrain the anger that was growing within him. "Because of our close connection and the level of trust we share, Riveria was ordered to spy on me and try to learn more about the items."

"What?!" Hestia, Lili, and Welf cried.

"Please, everyone, I'm not happy about it either, believe me, but I need to say a bit more," he pleaded.

The three sat down, though neither they, nor the others looked particularly happy.

_So that's why Aiz said that,_ Bell thought.

"She admitted to it and after talking about it with her we came to a bit of an understanding. I also made a bit of an offer to her."

"An offer?" Hestia questioned.

"Yes," another deep breath. "I've now shared with you all my growing feelings for Riveria, so I think you can all understand me when I say I didn't want some rift being opened between us because of some mitigating and, in some ways, unimportant factor. So, I offered to tell her about one item. Just one. The item that was used to bring Aiz to this time," Achilles said.

"The Hourglass of Kronos," Bell said.

Achilles nodded.

"Yes. Because I trust Riveria and because I think that Aiz does have the right to know how she ended up in a time not her own, I offered to tell them about this item tomorrow. However, I wanted to talk to you all first and get your opinions. If you find this unacceptable, I'll understand."

Everyone passed glances to those around them, each trying to gauge the others thoughts.

"I say we don't tell them anything. This is the second time they've done something underhanded. The first was understandable given what you did," Welf said, getting a nod from Achilles. "But this? Spying? And using her against you because of how you feel? That's low," he finished, crossing his arms.

"But we'd only be telling Riveria and Aiz," Bell tried to argue.

"And they'll be forced to tell the others, or will tell them willingly," Lili pointed out, leaving a disheartened Bell in her wake. "Lili agrees with Welf. We shouldn't tell them anything, especially not after this."

"Ryuu?" Achilles turned to the Gale Wind.

"What they did was understandable. The items are clearly dangerous, even more so if Revis wants them. We are also, technically, a rival familia. Even if we are allies, they still need to act in their own interests. However, that doesn't make what they did right. They betrayed our trust and, on the matter of self-interest, it certainly wouldn't be in our best interest to hand over secrets," she said.

Achilles nodded.

"Mikoto?"

The eastern maiden fidgeted for a moment before replying.

"Everyone makes valid points, and I understand them logically, but I, personally, feel we should tell them, at least about the Hourglass. As Achilles-dono said, Aiz-dono has the right to know how she ended up here and, perhaps more importantly, I don't want all the good will we've built up over these last few months to be burned away because of one mistake."

That last part hit everyone hard. They didn't want the friendships they had built to fall to ruin either, but this was trust shattering. Their 'friends' were actively attempting to spy on them and learn their secrets. They may have had good reason to, but that didn't make it better, especially when they didn't even make an attempt to learn directly about the items, suggesting that the trust between their familias was one way.

"Haruhime?" Achilles called gently.

It took even longer for the renard to respond than it had for Mikoto as her gentle, soft-spoken nature, made such a difficult position even worse.

"I...I think we should tell them, at least Riveria-sama and Aiz-sama. What they're doing is wrong, I know that, but I don't want us to fall into anger and distrust because of that. I don't want all we've worked so hard for to be lost."

Her sweet plea was hard to disregard for any of them. It was the soft song of the heart, arguing for a more hopeful result than the cold logic demanded. However, hers was not the last opinion they needed.

"Bell?"

Everyone shifted to their captain. His opinion was likely going to be the deciding factor in this and so they waited for his reply.

"I...I don't know," he said. "I want to trust them, all of them. Riveria. Aiz. Even Finn, but this," he bit his lip. "I get, rationally, why they felt it was necessary, but they didn't come to us. They didn't have faith in us. They immediately turned to deception and…," anger filled his eyes. "To use Riveria like that. To use her feelings...and your feelings!" Bell pointed at Achilles. "To try and discover secrets you've sworn to protect...I...I don't know. I really don't know."

It pained everyone terribly to see him like that. Bell decisiveness was one of the things they admired and adored him for. When he knew what was right and charged ahead ready to take whatever consequences came his way because he knew he was doing the right thing, it was like watching a legend unfold. But that came with the consequence of the opposite being absolutely devastating. Seeing an unsure Bell, weighed on their hearts heavily, sinking the beating organ down into the pits of their stomachs.

Luckily, everyone had forgotten that there was one final voice that hadn't spoken.

Bell suddenly felt something soft and warm wrap around his hand and discovered a gloved hand now wrapped around his. Looking up, he found his goddess smiling at him.

"Don't worry, Bell-kun, I'll handle this."

Everyone blinked.

"What do you mean, Hestia-sama?"

"Exactly what I said. I'll fix this!" she declared confidently. "I'll talk to Loki and get her to back off so that we can put this all behind us."

This didn't really help with any of their confusion, so Achilles decided to press her.

"I'm not sure that's possible. Trust isn't like trading cards or letting someone borrow your knife where you just ask for it back," he pointed out.

"Loki's just being paranoid. I'll talk with her to calm her down. Once she's rescinded the order we can just act like it never happened so that we can still be friends with the Loki familia, while also keeping our secrets safe. A win-win!"

"That doesn't really address the issue of trust, Hestia-sama," Lili pointed out with narrowed eyes.

"You trust who you want to trust. It seems like we all, generally, want to trust the Loki familia. Sure this is a bit much, but it's not unforgivable. As a lot of you guys pointed out, we understand why they did it, as underhanded as it was. Then again, it's not like we were going to just tell them about the items given how secretive they are, so we can't even really blame them for resorting to spying."

No one knew how to respond as this all just made them more confused on what they should think.

"Listen," Hestia continued, putting her hands on her hips. "We're all upset that they betrayed our trust like that. It sucks, but we all get why they did it. They're worried, and they should be. If what little Achilles's has told us about these items is true then they're really dangerous. So, we all have a choice to make. Do we want this to ruin our friendships with the Loki familia or do we want to accept their reasoning and try to move forward despite what they did? Is this mistake worth losing the people who have stood up for us against Freya, trained us to be stronger, sat next to us during our meeting, and all around gave us support?"

When she put it like that, it made it difficult for them to disagree with her.

"That doesn't make what they did right," Lili argued.

"No it doesn't. I'm not saying don't be mad. Be mad. Give them hell for going behind our backs, but don't throw away what you have because of this mistake. I have known Loki for eons, and while we certainly haven't always gotten along, the idea that I would never be able to talk to her or poke fun at her flat chest again is painful to me. I don't want any of you to feel that pain because of something we all agree, is understandable, if shady."

Everyone shared a few more looks, wondering if this was really the way forward. The reservations were still there, especially from Lili, Welf, and Ryuu, but they all slowly came around and decided that this mistake, as bad as it was, wasn't enough to end the friendship between their familias.

"Alright, Hestia-sama, I think we all agree with you," Bell said, smiling lightly.

"Begrudgingly. But they need to confess what they did!" Lili stated firmly.

"Done," Hestia agreed readily. "I'll talk to Loki tomorrow while you tell Riveria and Aiz Wallen-whatisit about the Hourglass."

An odd feeling of relief was felt amongst everyone, and some even began smiling, none more brightly than Bell.

_I'll never be able to tell her how glad I am to be a member of her familia,_ Bell thought as he stared at his goddess. _But maybe I'll be able to show her._

* * *

A few hours after the talk about the Loki familia, Hestia was making her way to her room, ready to get a good night's sleep.

"Today was crazy," she thought out loud.

She made her way into her room and began getting ready for bed.

She was in her nightgown and was about to hit the hay, when a knock came at her door.

_Who could that be?_ she wondered.

Making her way over, she opened the door and was surprised to find Bell before her.

"Bell-kun? What is it? Did something happen?" she asked.

"No, I just wanted to thank you for what you said earlier. I was so lost, but you were able to find a way to make everything better," he said, his wonderful smile making her heart beat faster.

"Hehe, well, I'm happy when I can make you happy," she said, now beaming.

"You always make me happy, Hestia," he said, his voice so tender it sent a shiver up her spine.

"I-I do?"

"Mhmm," he replied nodding. "I'll never really be able to put into words how happy I am that you made me a part of your familia. That gift is beyond words. So, I thought actions would do better."

Hestia was about to ask what that meant when Bell suddenly leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

Her face instantly caught fire and her heart threatened to burst from her chest as his warmth travelled from his lips into her. Her blush and thundering heart were only made worse by the fact that he did not pull away immediately, but held for a good three seconds, before finally pulling back and giving her a smile so wonderful her knees began to shake.

"Thank you, Hestia. Goodnight," he said before leaving.

Hestia just stood there for a long time, her door wide open and her face frozen in a cherry-red blush.

_Bell-kun kissed me. Bell-kun kissed me! BELL-KUN KISSED ME!_

That was all her mind could take as she fainted, falling backwards onto her floor with a 'thud', somehow closing the door in the process.

* * *

Riveria gathered up her things and, after checking herself over, left her room.

She made her way through the halls of the manor until she reached a familiar door.

She knocked and waited for no more than three seconds before it opened, revealing Aiz.

"Riveria?" she cocked her head.

"Good morning, Aiz. I was wondering if you'd be willing to accompany me for a little while. It's important," the mother elf said.

Confused, Aiz, nonetheless, nodded.

The two made their way out of the manor and into the city. It quickly became apparent to Aiz where they were heading and her curiosity became too much to restrain.

"Why are we headed to Hearthfire Manor, Riveria?"

"Because Achilles may have something important to tell you," Riveria responded.

That wasn't much of an answer, but it was enough for now, and so Aiz fell silent and simply continued walking towards the home of her not-so-secret-except-to-him love.

Finally arriving, Riveria rang the gate bell and not long after, a voice answered.

"Hello?" came the voice of everyone's favorite renard.

"Good morning, Haruhime. I'm here with Aiz. I believe Achilles is expecting us," Riveria said, hoping that this rendezvous wouldn't end abruptly.

"Yes, he told us what happened. Please, come in," Haruhime replied and a moment later the gates opened.

_What happened?_ Aiz wondered, her confusion growing to near boiling point.

The two made their way inside and were greeted by the sight of the entire Hestia familia waiting for them.

"Good morning, everyone," Riveria greeted.

"Good morning, they all returned."

"What's going on?" Aiz asked, finally unable to restrain in her confusion.

Hestia stepped forward.

"Achilles told us yesterday about the orders Riveria received." Aiz froze. "However, we're not mad...mostly," Hestia added. "In fact, there's something about the items Achilles is guarding that he thought you should know. He asked us for permission to tell you about it and we granted it. So, everyone is going to tell you what you need to know while I go and have a little chat with your goddess," she finished.

"You're not staying, Hestia-sama?" Bell asked.

Still a bit off from the previous night, Hestia blushed, but quickly shook her head before anyone noticed.

"No. I want to get to old flat-chest before she figures out what's going on. It'll be easier that way."

There were a few nods, while the two ladies of Loki familia processed what they had been told.

"Are you going to break off our alliance?" Riveria asked.

Aiz's heart stopped.

_Please no. That'll make it harder to earn his love,_ she thought as her eyes turned to Bell.

"We had a tense discussion about that last night, and many here wanted to end it. Spying on us is pretty trust shattering," the goddess said. Riveria and Aiz felt a weight on their shoulders and slouched in understanding. "However, your friendship is highly valued and you all have been there for us during many troubling times, especially with regards to Freya. Without your help who knows what she would have tried to pull. So, we decided to let this one be water under the bridge, but only if the order is rescinded and the others tell us the truth!" she quickly stated.

Both princesses were relieved at hearing that and smiled brightly at that before bowing deeply to the goddess.

"Thank you, Hestia-sama," Riveria said.

"Thank you very much," Aiz added.

Hands on her hips, Hestia smiled widely at the two mortals.

"Well, just make sure that our faith in you isn't called into question again and we'll call it even," she stated.

"I think we can both agree to that," Riveria said, with Aiz readily nodding.

"Good. Then I'll be off and everyone will tell you what you need to know."

"Are you sure you wouldn't like one of us to escort you?" Achilles asked.

"No, that's okay. Annoying as she can be, she won't try anything, if only so she can keep calling me 'chibi' for the rest of eternity."

Everyone smiled at that and a moment later, after one last farewell, Hestia departed.

"Let's go sit down," Achilles suggested.

They all made their way into the living room and sat down.

"Alright, so," Achilles began. "We know your familia wants to know more about the items that Revis asked about. As you probably already guessed, I'm not exactly keen on informing you about them." Aiz nodded. "However, there is one I'm willing to share, at least with you two."

"Why?" Aiz asked.

"Because it's the reason you're living in our time," he answered.

Aiz was floored for a momen, before she thought back to when her secret was first discovered.

"The sand."

Achilles nodded.

"That was what confirmed it for me. The item in question is called the Hourglass of Kronos. It's a very powerful artifact that was made long before even your father was born," he explained. "It was created by someone named Kronos who had the ability to manipulate time. However, the kind of manipulation that would be required to pull you a thousand years into the future is not something any mortal would be able to perform, which leaves only one option. A deity."

"Do you have any idea which deity. I don't believe Loki had anything to do with it. She was just as shocked by Aiz's appearance as we were," Riveria said.

"I suspect it was that old lecher I called my god," he replied.

"Zeus," Aiz stated.

Achilles nodded.

"Yep, and I think I know why too," he took a deep breath. "My guess is, after I...we...failed to kill the Black Dragon, Zeus looked for an alternative means to complete the Great Quests. The Quests were an obsession of his. He needed them completed, I still remember how after defeating the Behemoth and the Leviathan how his smile seemed brighter each time, like a weight was being taken off his shoulders. With the Dragon still alive though, and his and Hera's familia effectively gone, he had to turn to alternative ideas. That's where you come in," he looked at Aiz. "I suspect that he thought the best chance to defeat the Dragon would be the daughter of the one who gave it its famous injury. Theoretically it makes sense. Not only are you Albert's daughter, but you are also the daughter of the most powerful spirit. As such you hold a great deal of potential when it comes to dragon slaying."

The young woman's eyes were wide as she took in the idea that she might have been specifically chosen by Zeus himself, to complete the task neither his familia, nor her father, could complete.

_I was chosen. This is my destiny,_ she thought as her fists tightened, which did not go unnoticed by Achilles who felt his heart grow heavier.

"So now you know," Achilles said, pushing through his own anxiety. "That's how and likely why, you're here now."

Aiz didn't respond immediately and no one else felt like raising their voice at the moment, so everyone simply waited until she spoke.

"Thank you, Achilles-san. I appreciate you telling me this. I know that you aren't happy to talk about the Dragon or think about my quest to destroy it, but your honesty and support is something I do, truly, appreciate," she said kindly before bowing.

Though everyone was still a bit on edge given all that had happened, that display did provide them some relief and allowed for smiles to return.

"You're welcome, Aiz Waldstein," the Olympian replied with a small smile of his own.

* * *

Hestia made her way to the Twilight Manor with a calm, but determined look on her face. She had told the others that she would handle Loki, and she fully intended to, but she also knew that the repercussions of what she was about to do could be far-reaching, even terrible.

_I have to have faith. In her and in myself. She won't like what I have to say, but she'll accept it...I hope._

Finally seeing the Twilight Manor in the distance, she took another deep breath and headed towards its gates.

"Halt. State your business," one of the guards said.

"Hello, my name is Hestia. I'm here because I need to talk with Loki about something.

"Oh, Hestia-sama, my apologies," the guard said. "Right this way."

Hestia followed the guard inside and through the manor. As she did so, she passed by many Loki familia members. Most ignored her and simply went about their business, while a few, upon recognizing her, bowed and some even smiled. She happily returned these gestures and continued on. However, these were not the other reactions she received within the walls of the Twilight Manor.

Turning her gaze, she found an adventurer off in a corner. The adventurer was already looking at her, but whereas before she received looks of curiosity or familiarity, this gaze was unquestionably hostile.

_There's those eyes again. What does it mean?_ Hestia wondered as she turned away from the glaring adventurer.

Off in the corner, the adventurer glared at the goddess's back for as long as he could before she finally disappeared.

_Damn Hestia familia, barging in here like they own the place. Someone needs to take them down a peg or two._

Upon arriving at Loki's office and the guard knocked.

"Yeah?" Loki called from inside.

The guard opened the door.

"Hestia-sama is here to see you, Loki-sama," he said.

"Hestia?"

The loli goddess walked inside and smiled at her fellow goddess.

"Hello, Loki," she greeted pleasantly.

"What are you doing here, Chibi?" Loki asked as she signaled to the guard that he could leave.

"I was hoping to talk to you about something," Hestia responded.

Loki was instantly suspicious.

"What about?"

Hestia had hoped for a little more pleasantries before delving into the meat of the matter, but seeing that this was now unlikely to happen, she jumped in.

"I'd like to request that you rescind the orders you gave Riveria Ljos Alf to spy on Achilles."

Loki sat back in her chair, her eyes opening and her frown deepening to form a truly menacing glare.

"She told you," Loki said angrily.

Hestia shook her head.

"No. Achilles figured it out. Your children were acting weird yesterday so he investigated. After that it didn't take long for him to discover the truth. He's quite clever you know."

Loki said nothing to do, she simply continued to point her red eyes directly at Hestia's blue.

"Why should I?" she finally demanded. "This is too important for me to just let it go."

"Because if you don't you might be opening the door for questions you _really _don't want asked."

Loki's ferocious eyes turned confused and cautionary.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Hestia took a deep breath, trying desperately to steady her heart.

"One of the items that Achilles is guarding is called the Hourglass of Kronos."

The world stopped.

The horrified look on Loki's face was expected, but it still ate at Hestia's heart.

"W-What did you say, Chibi. I...I must have misheard you."

"You didn't," Hestia replied sadly, knowing how hard this was for her friend. "One of the items hidden away, and the reason that Aiz Wallenstein is here, in this time, is called the Hourglass of Kronos."

Loki fell into her chair, the look of terror she had somehow growing worse.

"T-That can't be. We…"

"Evidently not," Hestia cut in. "And it appears we also failed at hiding the truth as well since Achilles knows."

"What?!" Loki jumped to her feet. "That's impossible! Completely, utterly impossible! We wiped out all mention of it!"

Hestia expected this reaction, so just replied calmly.

"Gaia."

Loki froze again.

"What?"

"That's what Achilles told me when I tried to deny it," Hestia explained.

"T-That doesn't prove anything. He could have heard that-."

"The Treaty of Orarios."

Loki's legs collapsed and she fell behind her desk.

Hestia quickly went over to her and bent down to check if she was okay, though she knew, at least mentally, she wasn't.

"How?" Loki asked.

"I don't know. Zeus wouldn't have told him, I know that," Hestia said.

"It would be better if he had," Loki stated. "At least then we would know it was contained. But if Achilles just found out on his own that means," she looked Hestia in the eyes, both feeling the fear of what she was about to say. "That the information is still out there."

Hestia nodded.

"Yes it does. And I very much doubt Achilles is going to tell us where he found it."

"Then we force him to!" Loki cried. "If this gets out-."

A gentle hand on her cheek stopped her this time.

"Hush, Loki. Hush. I know how you feel, believe me, I do, but that won't help us. Even if we do force him, it's unlikely we'll find everything. If we've missed it for all these centuries, we won't find it any time soon," Hestia said gently.

That didn't make Loki feel much better, but, even in her current state of hysteria, she understood that Hestia was right.

"Has he told the rabbit yet?" the trickster goddess asked.

"Bell? I don't think so, but he plans to."

Loki sighed.

"The more people that know about this, the worse things are for us," she said.

"Not necessarily," Hestia replied. Loki gave her a confused look. "Achilles didn't turn on us because of this information. In fact, when I asked, he said it simply proved what he already knew. That we were imperfect."

"Not sure how I feel hearing that from the guy who shoots lightning bolts into the sky when he's pissy."

Hestia laughed lightly.

"To be fair, I believe he recognizes his own imperfection," she defended.

"He'd better," the redhead threw back.

The two were quiet for a moment, letting things calm down before they moved on.

"I'll back off like you asked," Loki finally said. "Not sure I even want to know what these items are anymore. Probably have a heart-attack if I find more about them."

Hestia smiled at her, before pulling her into a hug.

"Thank you."

Loki blushed as her head was pressed against her friend's generous bosom.

"Geeze, Chibi, you're being a lot more affectionate these days," she said in an attempt to hide her embarrassment.

"Am I not allowed to be affectionate with my friends?" Hestia asked.

That made Loki's blush grow.

"I-I guess you are."

"Good," Hestia replied with a bigger smile.

Once more silence fell over them, but this time only a few moments as Loki asked.

"Hey, Hestia?"

"Yes?"

"Do you mind if we just stay like this a while? I'm not sure I'm ready to get back to things yet."

Hestia's response was to pull her closer.

"Of course. I can stay as long as you need."

* * *

Riveria and Aiz left, giving one last, heartfelt thank you and a hug to their respective objects of affection.

The two Loki familia ladies now gone, it was quickly decided that everyone needed, if not deserved, a nap. So, the members of the Hestia familia broke apart and headed to their respective rooms.

Achilles was just about to enter his, when he heard footsteps approaching. Turning, he found Bell heading his way.

"Is something the matter, Bell?" he asked.

"No, nothing's really the matter, I was just wondering about something," the Hestia captain replied.

"What is it?" Achilles asked.

"I was wondering if you had any idea which item or items this Enyo person was after. Did Revis give you any hints?" Bell inquired.

"Hm, I have been wondering that myself. They haven't given much in the way of hints towards their plans, but I do have a hunch of which ones they might want."

"You do? May...may I ask which ones."

Achilles nodded.

"If I had to guess, I would say that there are two possibilities. The Giant Killer, Mjolnir; and the Prison of Chaos, Pandora's Box."

* * *

Goodness me this one turned out a lot longer than I thought it was going to be. I actually thought it was only going to be five to six thousand words and look what happened! It's twice as long! My, how things progress.

That said, I hope you guys enjoyed the story. One of my big worries when it comes to this story is that I'm resolving issues too quickly, i.e. a problem arises and then it's fixed in the next chapter, or even the same chapter. I did think about extending this particular issue out longer, but when I thought of the characters and how they would all act it didn't seem likely that things wouldn't be discovered.

I also hope I didn't piss off any Finn fans out there. I tried to stay as true to his character as I could from my understanding, but I may have come off as too harsh or made him too much of an asshole. If I did, please tell me in the reviews. My goal is to make as entertaining a story as possible, while remaining as faithful to the Danmachi world as I can within the context of my story, so feedback from you guys is very important.

Well then, once again, I hope you guys enjoyed the story and I'll see you all next time. So, until then, bye for now.


End file.
